HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by the House of Commons Commission were in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; to whom such payments were paid; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought.

John Thurso: The following expenditure has been incurred for external legal advice:
	
		
			 20 highest amounts paid in 2010 
			 Reason Recipient £ 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 18,733.80 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 9,277.00 
			 Judicial review (intervener) Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) 4,399.50 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 3,805.80 
			 Judicial review (intervener) TSol 3,190.82 
			 Personal injury claim TSol 3,131.70 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 3,041.66 
			 Personal injury claim TSol 3,018.60 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 2,930.53 
			 Employment claim TSol 2,847.40 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 2,628.00 
			 Personal injury claim TSol 2,249.00 
			 Personal injury claim TSol 2,241.76 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 2,227.20 
			 Personal injury claim TSol 1,895.60 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 1,807.80 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 1,725.30 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 1,603.80 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 1,515.00 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 1,505.40 
		
	
	
		
			 20 highest amounts paid in 2011 
			 Reason Recipient £ 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 32,350.00 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 21,170.73 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Boutd Ltd 16,290.00 
			 Employment claim TSol 15,714.50 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 15,536.25 
			 Property matters(1) Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP 13,140.00 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 10,836.22 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 8,955.40 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 4,326.00 
			 Employment claim TSol 3,572.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Judicial review (intervener) TSol 2,616.00 
			 Possible intervention in criminal proceedings TSol 1,914.00 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 1,659.60 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 1,408.54 
			 Personal injury claim TSol 1,274.10 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 1,207.20 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 1,109.00 
			 Property matters(1) Davitt Jones Bould Ltd 1,038.06 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 987.52 
			 Property matters(1) TSol 985.00 
		
	
	
		
			 20 highest amounts paid in 2012 
			 Reason Recipient £ 
			 Procurement claim(1) TSol 10,422.24 
			 Employment claim TSol 8,023.20 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 7,485.00 
			 Employment claim TSol 7,139.00 
			 Property matters(1) SNR Denton UK LLP and Michelmores LLP 4,889.00 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 4,375.00 
			 Intellectual property proceedings Mathys & Squire LLP 3,949.61 
			 Employment claim TSol 3,100.50 
			 Property matters(1) SNR Denton UK LLP and Michelmores LLP 3,025.08 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 2,695.00 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 2,495.00 
			 Employment claim Nicholas Moss of Counsel 1,990.00 
			 Employment claim TSol 1,746.50 
			 Procurement claim(1) TSol 1,607.04 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 1,519.56 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 1,209.24 
			 Employment claim Laura Robinson of Counsel 987.00 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 684.00 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 660.00 
			 Property matters(1) Michelmores LLP 484.00 
			 (1 )These items include VAT.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Commission spent on external legal advice from Queen's Counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

John Thurso: Between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012, £5,400 (including VAT) has been spent on legal advice from Queen's counsel to a House Department in a property matter. No expenditure has been incurred since 4 September 2012.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, how much the House of Commons Commission spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

John Thurso: The House of Commons Commission and House Departments spent the following amounts on external legal advice:
	7 May 2010 to 4 September 2012
	Parliamentary Estates Directorate—£158,325 (incl VAT)(1)
	Other House Departments—£124,460 (excl VAT)
	Since 4 September 2012
	Parliamentary Estates Directorate and PICT—£26,868 (incl VAT)(1)
	Other House Departments—£13,526 (excl VAT)
	(1) The proportion attributable to VAT cannot be disaggregated without disproportionate cost.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the House of Commons Commission since 7 May 2010 was.

John Thurso: The highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the House of Commons Commission was £1,500.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how much the Electoral Commission has spent on external legal advice (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that its spend on external legal advice was:
	(a) £200,000 between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012; and,
	(b) £32,500 since 4 September 2012.
	The majority of this spend was on contentious or litigious local government boundary review and party and election finance regulatory matters. In 2011 and 2012 there was no need for legal advice expenditure on boundary matters because the Local Government Boundary Committee had become a separate organisation.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how much the Electoral Commission has spent on external legal advice from Queen's counsel (a) between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012 and (b) since 4 September 2012.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that its spend on external legal advice from Queen's counsel was:
	(a) £62,000 between 7 May 2010 and 4 September 2012; and,
	(b) £7,000 since 4 September 2012.
	Most of this spend was on local government boundary review, and party and election finance regulatory matters that have been contentious or litigious. In 2011 and 2012 there was no need for legal advice expenditure on boundary matters because the Local Government Boundary Committee had become a separate organisation.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the highest day rate paid for external legal advice by the Electoral Commission since 7 May 2010 has been.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that while in agreeing fees for external legal work it will, where relevant, actively consider and negotiate on hour and day rates, it only has accounting need to retain records of external legal costs on a total paid basis.
	The Commission seeks to ensure value for money for external legal advice by using legal work rates in framework agreements that have been subject to public procurement requirements; Treasury Solicitor rates; counsel fees equivalent to government negotiated rates; or as negotiated on a specific case by case basis. Fixed or upper limit fees are used in addition to day or hourly rates.

Legal Costs

Sadiq Khan: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by the Electoral Commission in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012 were; to whom such payments were made; and for what reasons the legal advice was sought.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that a copy of its records for the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice in 2010, 2011 and 2012, to whom and for what reasons the legal advice was sought, have been placed because of their length in the House of Commons Library.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

External Bodies

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what powers the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority has to reclaim monies owed to hon. Members by external bodies.

Charles Walker: holding answer 10 June 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 13 June 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for information relating to IPSA's powers.
	IPSA's powers are set out in the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 (as amended) and the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. IPSA does not have any powers to reclaim monies owed to MPs by third parties.

Telephone Inquiries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, for what reasons IPSA staff are not available to answer telephone calls from hon. Members and their staff before 1pm; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Walker: holding answer 10 June 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 13 June 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for information about our phone lines.
	Before January 2011 our phone lines were open from 8am to 6pm. Many MPs had said to us that they felt that they had to wait too long when calling our information line. In the light of this feedback, we decided to switch to a different model, where our phone lines are open for a shorter period but they are staffed more intensively during that period.
	The approach reflects both the feedback we have received from MPs but also our own data, which shows that when the phone lines were open all day, more MPs and their staff chose to call us in the afternoon.
	The change allowed us to improve the service we offer by being able to have more people focused on answering telephone calls. The average waiting time for a caller during December 2010 was over two minutes, but after we made the change to the opening hours from 10th January 2011, the average waiting time the following month was less than 20 seconds.
	MPs and their staff who need to speak to us before 1pm should email us at:
	info@parliamentarystandards.org.uk
	with the subject line ‘Please call me’, a contact phone number and a brief explanation of the query. We will respond as soon as possible.

WALES

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Stephen Crabb: The Wales Office has no personnel seconded to an accountancy firm.

GCSE

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the potential effects on (a) university and college applications and (b) grade comparability between English and Welsh qualifications of the Government's planned reforms to GCSEs in England;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on future employer acceptance of GCSE qualifications gained in Wales following the Government's planned reforms to GCSEs in England;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government to encourage it to adopt the Government's planned reforms to GCSEs in England.

David Jones: Wales Office Ministers have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a variety of subjects which affect Wales, including the planned reform of GCSEs.
	It is important that students in Wales are not disadvantaged by any decisions that are made about qualifications, and I want to ensure that we can work together with the Welsh Government in the future to bolster confidence in all the examinations that young people take.

GCSE

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether schools in Wales will be permitted to teach the new GCSEs following the implementation of the Government's planned reforms to GCSEs in England.

David Jones: I am keen to ensure that students in Wales are not disadvantaged by any decisions that are made about qualifications, and as such the UK Government would like the new GCSE qualifications to be available to all schools in Wales. It is, however, a decision for the Welsh Government whether they are implemented in Welsh State Schools.

GCSE

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the introduction of a grade comparator for the purposes of comparing GCSE grades between England and Wales following the implementation of the Government's planned reforms to GCSEs in England.

David Jones: Matters relating to the standards of qualifications in England and Wales and the extent to which they are comparable are for the regulators. I understand that Ofqual has regular discussions with the Welsh regulator to consider matters such as these.

SCOTLAND

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not have any personnel who have been seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff were suspended from his Department on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

David Mundell: No staff were suspended from the Scotland Office in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 or (c) 2012-13, and consequently no costs were incurred.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress his Department has made in reducing the UK's military base footprint in Afghanistan.

Philip Hammond: At the height of ISAF involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan UK forces operated 137 bases; today, that number is 13 with the remainder either closed or handed over to Afghan forces and we expect this to reduce to four or five by the end of the year. This decreasing UK presence, in line with security transition, has meant that as of 30 April, we have already been able to redeploy 568 vehicles and major equipments and 949 twenty foot equivalent units of material from Afghanistan. We have also reduced the number of UK personnel from 9,500 at the peak in 2009 to the end of 2012, to 7,900 as of the end of May.

Afghanistan

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to support the government of Afghanistan in mitigating, tracking, investigating and ensuring accountability for civilian casualties.

Andrew Robathan: Protecting Afghan civilians is one of ISAF and the UK's top priorities. There are strict procedures, frequently updated in light of experience, intended to both minimise the risk of casualties occurring and to investigate any incidents that do happen.
	As part of our train, advise and assist role in Afghanistan, we encourage the Afghan National Security Forces to operate within the bounds of International Humanitarian Law, including with respect to mitigating and ensuring accountability for civilian casualties.

ISAF

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to publish promptly International Security Assistance Force findings on civilian casualties.

Andrew Robathan: ISAF publishes information on civilian casualties on its website:
	http://www.isaf.nato.int/
	As the Afghan National Security Forces have assumed responsibility for security across Afghanistan, it has also assumed responsibility for tracking and mitigating civilian casualties and the Afghan Government Media and Information Centre regularly publishes updates of civilian casualty investigations on its website:
	http://www.gmic.gov.af/english/index.php
	In addition, the United Nations has published its own report on civilian casualties in Afghanistan in February 2013. This report is available on the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) website at:
	http://unama.unmissions.org/Default.aspx?tabid= 12254&ctl=Details&mid=15756&ItemID=36932& language=en-US

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA does not have any personnel currently seconded to the big four accountancy firms.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Shropshire

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what written representations he has received from farmers in Shropshire calling for the introduction of a limited badger cull in that county.

David Heath: holding answer 11 June 2013
	It is not possible to identify farmers in Shropshire calling for the introduction of a limited badger cull in that county from all of the written representations we have received on this issue.
	The two badger control pilots in West Gloucestershire and West Somerset will go ahead this year. We are aware of stakeholders in other areas of the country, including Shropshire, who would like a badger cull to be introduced in their county. Providing the pilots are successful, they will get the opportunity to do so from next year.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have visited a British Overseas Territory in an official capacity since May 2010;
	(2)  how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have visited a UK Overseas Territory since May 2010.

Richard Benyon: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Ministerial visits overseas since May 2010 can be found at the following webpage, which is updated quarterly in accordance with the civil service's commitment to transparency:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs/series/ministers-hospitality-gifts-meetings-overseas-travel
	(b) There have been no visits to British Overseas Territories by the current Permanent Secretary, her predecessor and the Directors General now in post. Data regarding previous post holders are not held.

Dairy Farming

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the average income of a dairy farmer in England in each year since 2005.

David Heath: An estimate of farm business income for dairy farms in England is displayed in the following table:
	
		
			 £ 
			  At current prices In real terms (2012-13 prices) 
			 2005-06 33,500 42,500 
			 2006-07 31,000 38,000 
			 2007-08 55,000 65,000 
			 2008-09 69,500 79,500 
			 2009-10 56,000 64,000 
			 2009-10(1) 59,000 67,500 
			 2010-11 66,000 72,000 
			 2011-12 86,500 89,500 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13(2) 50,000 50,000 
			 (1) Farm type classification changed from ‘standard gross margins’ (SGM) typology to standard outputs (SO) typology. (2) Provisional forecast made in January 2013. Source: Farm Business Survey 
		
	
	For sole traders and partnerships, farm business income represents the financial return to all unpaid labour (farmers and spouses, non-principal partners and directors and their spouses and family workers) and on all their capital invested in the farm business, including land and buildings. For corporate businesses it represents the financial return on the shareholders capital invested in the farm business. Single farm payment and other subsidies are included. The estimate represents specialist dairy farms, although some income shown above will come from non-dairy enterprises on the farm business. Incomes received by dairy farmers from sources external to the farm business are not included. Prior to 2008-09, directors' remuneration was not deducted in the calculation of farm business income.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of household waste was recycled in each year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: The proportion of household waste that has been collected or sent for recycling in England since 1996 is as follows:
	
		
			  Percentage (rounded) 
			 1996-97 7 
			 1997-98 8 
			 1998-99 9 
			 1999-2000 10 
			 2000-01 11 
			 2001-02 13 
			 2002-03 15 
			 2003-04 18 
			 2004-05 23 
			 2005-06 27 
			 2006-07 31 
			 2007-08 35 
			 2008-09 38 
			 2009-10 40 
			 2010-11 42 
			 2011-12 43 
		
	
	As waste is a devolved matter, data for Wales can be obtained from the Welsh Government.

Floods: Greater London

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1285W, on floods: Greater London, what estimate he has made of the number of such properties in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: Estimates of the numbers of properties at risk of flooding from river or the sea in Greater London were made in February 2010 and October 2011.
	The Environment Agency defines significant risk as a one in 75, or greater, chance of flooding in any year. The estimated number of properties at significant risk from river or the sea decreased from 37,561 in February 2010 to 28,584 in October 2011. The estimate in the total number of properties in Greater London at risk of flooding from river or the sea in the event of a flood with one in 1,000 probability of occurring in any one year increased from 505,165 to 521,129 between February 2010 and October 2011.
	Care should be taken in comparing these figures. The increase in the total number of properties at risk is not the result of the deterioration of flood defences, which would only move properties from one level of risk to another. Changes are due to a combination of more accurate modelling, new data and new properties built in areas of risk between February 2010 and October 2011.
	The estimated number of properties at risk from surface water flooding was 1.3 million in both years.

Food: Festivals and Special Occasions

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 792W on food: festivals and special occasions, which body provided the funding for such festivals in each year between 2010 and 2012.

David Heath: A total of 25 food festival projects have been supported by DEFRA during the last three years. The breakdown of bodies providing this funding for each year is as follows:
	
		
			 2010 
			 Body Festival Funding (£) 
			 North Pennine Dales Local Action Group Bishop Auckland Food Festival 5,407 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Cockermouth Food and Drink Festival 121,338 
			 West Cornwall Local Action Group Porthleven Food Festival 4,597 
			 Forest of Dean Local Action Group Children's Food Festival 15,000 
			 Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Guisborough Xmas Festival 2010 2,447 
			  Xmas Festival 5,115 
			 Marketing Cheshire Nantwich Show 9,222 
		
	
	
		
			 2011 
			 Body Festival Funding (£) 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Cockermouth Food and Drink Festival 115,900 
			  Food Connect Lancashire 2,500 
			  Food Connect Cheshire 2,000 
			  Food Connect Cumbria 1,500 
			 West Cornwall Local Action Group Porthleven Food Festival 2011 6,500 
			 Marketing Cheshire Cholmondeley Pageant of Power 10,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Northumberland Coast and Lowlands Local Action Group Berwick Food Festival and Food Education Programme 11,772 
			 Central Warwickshire Local Action Group Festival of the Harvest 2010 13,375 
		
	
	
		
			 2012 
			 Body Festival Funding (£) 
			 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Cockermouth Food and Drink Festival 116,808 
			  Taste Cumbria Christmas Festival 48,896 
			  Food Connect Lancashire 10,000 
			  Food Connect Cheshire 2,000 
			  Food Connect Merseyside 9,000 
			  Food Connect Greater Manchester 10,000 
			  Food Connect Cumbria 5,000 
			 Northumberland Coast and Lowlands Local Action Group Alnwick Food Festival 15,796 
			 Central Warwickshire Local Action Group Festival of the Harvest 2010 2,360 
			  Festival of the Harvest 2011/2012 25,265 
			 Norfolk Coast and Broads Local Action Group North Norfolk Food and Drink Festivals 18,640 
			 Western Somerset Local Action Group Exmoor Food Festival 3,240 
			 Coast, Wolds, Wetlands and Waterways Local Action Group World Food Cafe 10,298 
			 Yorkshire Dales Local Action Group Yorkshire Dales Food—A Celebration 2,693 
			 Marketing Cheshire North West Food Lovers Festival 13,985 
			 Note: Some projects are funded over more than one year.

TRANSPORT

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job titles and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not have any officials currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Aviation: Freight

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had on the expansion of air cargo in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Since taking up his position, the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has had a number of discussions about the air cargo industry, the most recent of which was with Sir Howard Davies with regard to his work at the Airports Commission. The independent commission will examine how best the UK can maintain its international connectivity, which is expected to include the needs of air cargo.
	We will continue to support the development of air freight, while striking the right balance between a thriving aviation industry and minimising impacts on the environment and local communities.

Electric Vehicles

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the introduction of public charging points for electric vehicles.

Norman Baker: Officials from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) are in regular contact with local authorities to offer advice and support on the installation of plug-in vehicle charging infrastructure. In particular, a workshop was held in November 2012, hosted jointly by OLEV and the Society of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Traders, which shared knowledge and experience gained from the Plugged-in Places programme on how to go about procuring and installing chargepoints. We will be publishing the key lessons learned from the PIP programme this summer and will hold further workshops with local authorities on specific topics relevant to them shortly after this publication.
	In addition to this, since February this year local authorities in England have been able to apply for grant funding for plug-in vehicle chargepoints for three purposes: to install chargepoints on their own estate, to install rapid chargepoints, and to install on-street chargepoints on residential streets with no off-street parking. For each of these grant funds there is a guidance document on the website of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
	If any local authorities would like to discuss plug-in vehicle chargepoints, they should contact OLEV directly at
	olev.enquiries@olev.gsi.gov.uk

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will extend the period of consultation on the draft Environmental Statement on High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: The Government considers that eight weeks is a reasonable time frame for those affected by the scheme to respond to the consultation.
	There has been extensive formal public consultation on HS2 since it was first announced in 2010. In addition, HS2 Ltd have been working very hard with local communities and businesses over the past year to make sure they have, an understanding of the anticipated effects in their area. This means that consultees should be in good position to respond to this consultation within eight weeks.

Level Crossings

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers he has to instruct Network Rail to reverse a decision to confirm the permanent closure of a level crossing; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State has no powers to instruct Network Rail to reverse decisions to permanently close level crossings.

Level Crossings: Enfield

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the decision of Network Rail to permanently close the Lincoln Road level crossing in Enfield; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin), has not received any representations regarding the closure of the Lincoln Road level crossing in Enfield.
	The decision to close the level crossing permanently was taken by Network Rail, in its role as safety duty holder, following a risk assessment.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what monitoring his Department will undertake of the number of staff departures from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency during the re-grading process of staff in that body;
	(2)  when he intends the staff re-grading process at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to be complete;
	(3)  what progress his Department is making on the re-grading of Maritime and Coastguard Agency staff.

Stephen Hammond: The HM Coastguard Modernisation Programme does not re-grade existing coastguard jobs filled by incumbent coastguard officers. This programme will replace existing coastguard jobs with very different, higher quality and much more demanding roles.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) expects soon to finalise proposals for terms and conditions for these new jobs and to undertake negotiations with trade unions as part of the planned process to deliver the new HM Coastguard structure in line with the blueprint the Government published in November 2011.
	Throughout this process the MCA will closely monitor and manage any consequential turnover in staffing.

Oil

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with (a) his ministerial colleagues and (b) climate scientists on the potential implications of the exploitation of (i) tar sands and (ii) other unconventional fossil fuels which have potential to be used for transport for the UK's international commitment to keep global temperatures below a two degree centigrade rise; if he will make it his policy to support the classification of oil from tar sands as highly polluting under the European Commission Fuel Quality Directive; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: Department for Transport Ministers and officials have met with various interested parties, including climate scientists, industry representatives, environmental organisations and other Government Departments, to discuss the Fuel Quality Directive.
	The Government takes the environmental implications of exploiting high carbon intensity crudes very seriously, and we regard the Fuel Quality Directive as a key tool in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport. The UK Government is seeking a solution that effectively addresses the carbon emissions from all highly polluting crudes. Given that the overwhelming supply of crudes to the EU come from conventional sources, it would be irresponsible environmentally to concentrate solely on unconventional fuels as some advocate.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Norman Baker: Information about the property owned by the Department for Transport in Scotland is published on the data.gov.uk website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims
	Information on the value of property is not centrally recorded and this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Railways

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the rate of growth in the number of rail passengers travelling into major UK cities over the last (a) 10 and (b) 20 years.

Simon Burns: No robust estimate of the rate of growth in the number of rail passengers travelling into major UK cities over the last (a) 10 and (b) 20 years is readily available.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library a model invitation to tender ahead of issuing further such invitations for future rail franchise competitions.

Simon Burns: There are currently no plans to place a model Invitation to Tender (ITT) in the Library. The Department is currently reviewing the ITT template in the light of recommendations made in the Brown Review.
	This is an ongoing activity and will be addressed through each franchise competition. All ITTs will be made available on the DFT website and the Government's Website:
	www.gov.uk/contracts-finder

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent meetings (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with Passenger Focus to discuss how to incorporate passenger satisfaction into future invitations to tender for rail franchises.

Simon Burns: This issue was discussed at ministerial meetings with Passenger Focus on 19 March and 17 April. The director of Rail Franchising attended and addressed a Passenger Focus seminar on 5 June on the subject of the passenger voice in rail franchising. Officials working within the rail franchising directorate have held regular meetings with Passenger Focus on passenger satisfaction in franchising competitions. Twelve such meetings have been held since March 2013.

Railways: Franchises

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what form passenger satisfaction assessments will take in future evaluations of rail franchise bids.

Simon Burns: The Department will set out its overall policy in its response to the Brown review of rail franchising which will be published this summer. The Department is currently developing the detailed evaluation criteria for the next franchise competitions, and these will be published as the franchise programme progresses.

Railways: Royal Mail

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) platforms, (b) trackside facilities and (c) rail buildings are owned by Royal Mail as part of the railway network.

Simon Burns: The Royal Mail will hold the information requested. However, Network Rail, the owner and operator of the national network, advises that the Royal Mail has four rail terminals which are connected to the national network.

Railways: Sanitation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with train operating companies in respect of the provision of adequate toilet facilities;
	(2)  what information his Department collects on the provision of toilet facilities or working toilet facilities by rail franchise;
	(3)  what sanctions are available to his Department against train operating companies who do not provide adequate toilet facilities; and what sanctions have been employed against train operating companies in the last five years;
	(4)  whether it is a requirement in franchise agreements for train operators to have working toilets on all of their services;
	(5)  whether there is a requirement in franchise agreements for train operators for a minimum level of working toilet provision on train services before a train enters service;
	(6)  whether there are different requirements for toilet provision in train franchises in respect of (a) commuter, (b) intercity and (c) regional services;
	(7)  which body is responsible for monitoring whether train operators provide adequate and working toilet facilities; and what methodology is used for any such monitoring.

Simon Burns: The Department for Transport does not place any specific requirements on train operators with regard to the provision of toilets on trains. The rolling stock operated by individual train operators is a detailed operational matter for them. They must decide what rolling stock is deployed on particular routes and services.
	There are standards relating to the accessibility of toilets, but there are no legal requirements for toilet facilities to be provided on trains.
	As the Department places no specific requirements upon train operators in regard to toilet facilities there is no Department for Transport body therefore responsible for monitoring of those facilities, and the Department does not collect information on toilet facilities, or working toilet facilities, by franchise.
	Although there are no contractual obligations or specific requirements to do so, such available facilities are however monitored through the National Passengers Survey (NPS) undertaken by Passenger Focus, or from a franchise's own Service Quality Management System (SQMS), if that is included in its Franchise Agreement and has questions relating to toilet facilities.
	Department officials monitor the results of the NPS and SQMS with franchisees, with a view to driving up the quality of services provided to passengers.

Railways: Sanitation

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information his Department collects on concerns raised on the adequacy of toilet facilities provided by train operators.

Simon Burns: We do not specifically collect such information but we do log and monitor all correspondence that is received by the Department, including correspondence regarding toilet facilities. Individual train operators also collect information about concerns raised in this regard which we could as a Department ask for on an individual operator basis.

Railways: Worcester

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on reducing journey times between (a) Worcester and London and (b) Worcester and Birmingham.

Simon Burns: A number of representations seeking reductions in journey time have been received, notably on the Worcester to London route. The Government has provided £300 million funding to Network Rail for passenger journey improvements across the network for the period from 2014 to 2019.

Rescue Services

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many coastguard watches have been understaffed; and at which stations in the last 12 months.

Stephen Hammond: Officials at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency have been asked to compile the requested data. The process involves reconciling a number of different data sources to provide the detailed information requested in a helpful form. This will take approximately two weeks because the agency needs to gather detailed information from each individual Maritime Rescue Co-ordination centre and that is made more complicated by ongoing industrial action by the PCS Union until 8 October 2012 and then again from 10 June 2013. I will write to the hon. Member with the information and place a copy of my letter in the Libraries of the House.

Shipping: Crew

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age was of UK seafarer (a) ratings and (b) officers in (i) the most recent period for which figures are available and (ii) each year since 2000-01.

Stephen Hammond: In 2012 (i) the average age for (a) UK ratings was 41-years-old and the average age of (b) UK officers was 43-years-old. The 2012 statistics showed that the majority of UK officers were over 40 years (62%).
	The table shows the average age of UK officers and ratings for 2009 to 2012. (ii) Data on the average age of UK seafarers are available only from 2009 onwards.
	
		
			 Average age of UK officers and ratings (years) 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 UK officers 44 44 45 43 
			 UK rating 41 40 41 41 
			 Source: DFT UK Seafarer Statistics publication.

Shipping: Crew

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to ensure that statistics profiling the demographics of UK seafarers are published as part of his Department's annual publication of seafarer statistics for 2013.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport published statistics regarding UK seafarers for 2012 on 31 January 2013. The annual publication can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/seafarer-statistics-2012
	This statistical release provided estimates for the number of UK seafarers active at sea, including demographic analysis of age, gender and nationality. Detailed demographic data can be found in the tables at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/sfr02-seafarers-by-age
	The Department for Transport has committed to produce the annual publication of seafarer statistics for 2013 in early 2014. This publication will continue to include demographic analysis, dependent on the availability of appropriate quality data for the sector.

Shipping: Crew

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with the UK Chamber of Shipping on the demographic profile of UK seafarers; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: We have had no recent discussions with the Chamber of Shipping on this matter.

Travel: Concessions

Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the amount of funding provided by Government departments to fund the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme in each year since 2006.

Norman Baker: In 2006/07 and 2007/08 the statutory minimum concession in England provided free off-peak bus travel within the pass holder's local authority area. Funding at that time was provided exclusively through the Department for Communities and Local Government's (DCLG) Formula Grant. This block grant was unhypothecated so it is not possible to identify how much funding was allocated to a local authority for a particular service such as concessionary travel.
	In 2008 the statutory minimum was extended to England-wide travel and the Department provided local authorities with a one off payment of £31 million for the re-issue of concessionary travel passes with the new mandatory England design. The Department for Transport also provided a portion of funding through a Special Grant to local authorities until 31 March 2011 for the increase cost of the extension to the scheme. The Special Grant funding was:
	£212 million in 2008/09;
	£217 million in 2009/10; and
	£223 million in 2010/11.
	Since April 2011 all funding for the statutory England-wide travel concession has been provided through DCLG's Formula Grant. The overall amount of Formula Grant funding available for local government from 2011/12 was set out in the Spending Review.

UK Chamber of Shipping

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many meetings with representatives of the UK Chamber of Shipping (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had since September 2012.

Stephen Hammond: Department for Transport (DFT) Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of the UK Chamber of Shipping as part of the policy development and delivery process.
	The DFT publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations which is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-and-special-adviser-meetings-data-for-department-for-transport

HOME DEPARTMENT

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of each such secondee.

James Brokenshire: According to our records, the Home Office currently has no officials seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Arrest Warrants

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many UK citizens subject to a European Arrest Warrant have been held in prisons and subsequently found not guilty in other EU member states in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many citizens of other EU member states have been held in UK prisons under the European Arrest Warrant and subsequently found not guilty in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 June 2013
	This information is not held centrally. The Serious Organised Agency (SOCA), and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (for Scotland), are the designated central authority for processing European Arrest Warrants (EAWs). involving the UK. The involvement of these agencies in the extradition process ends at the point of surrender, as the person is then subject to the criminal justice system in the UK or relevant EU member state.

Asylum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance management systems her Department has for monitoring the administration of asylum decision making.

Mark Harper: Asylum casework performance is published every year against 15 key performance indicators (KPIs)—see following link. These cover a wide variety of factors, including asylum decision making. Specifically:
	Asylum intake
	Work in Progress (WiP) cases
	Intake
	Asylum support costs
	Productivity
	Asylum unit cost
	Initial decisions in 30 days
	Cases concluded in six months
	Cases concluded in 12 months
	Cases concluded in 35 months
	Cases removed in 12 months
	Decision quality
	Appeal representation rate
	Appeal win rate
	Asylum grant rate
	http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/aboutus/further-key-data/
	Overall, the published statistics show a system in good health, with the majority of KPIs either exceeding or matching the previous year's figures. In terms of decision making:
	Initial decision quality rose from 88% in 2010-11 to 89% in 2011-12.
	30 day initial decision rates decreased from 59% in 2010-11 to 47% in 2011-12. However, this was largely due to a focus on removals and longer term conclusions (both 12 and 26 month conclusion rates rose considerably) and we are confident this trend will be reversed when the 2012-13 figures are published in August 2013.
	Going forward, the Asylum Casework Directorate is implementing several changes to simplify and standardise the asylum system—allowing for better, earlier identification of the claimant, including the most vulnerable, and enabling appropriate consideration by the correct team who specialise in their case type. This specialisation will then enable the development of country and subject expertise by decision-makers, and result in faster, higher quality decisions.

Asylum: Finance

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish the findings of her Department's review of asylum support rates.

Mark Harper: The Government published the findings of its review of asylum support rates in a written ministerial statement on 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 119WS.
	There are no plans to publish a formal report.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many points of entry to the UK there are for foreign vehicles; how many such points of entry have automatic number plate recognition cameras; and what use is made of those cameras for registering foreign vehicles entering the country.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 June 2013
	There are 50 points of entry at 29 ports in the UK for foreign vehicles, with another port/point due to open in July 2013. This excludes the land border with the Republic of Ireland. All official points of entry have the capability to deploy the technology to read number plates, including foreign plates, whether through fixed or mobile cameras.
	Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) is a tool to monitor inbound and outbound traffic which is already in use by law enforcement agencies at locations across the UK and at the juxtaposed controls in northern France.
	These ANPR systems are used for purposes of national security and the prevention and detection of crime. Law enforcement agencies and the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency do not use port based ANPR cameras for registering foreign vehicles entering the UK.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police officers in England and Wales are trained in the use of the Dash risk assessment tool.

Jeremy Browne: holding answer 17 June 2013
	The Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence (DASH) learning programme was released in December 2009. The programme was made available to all forces in England and Wales via the National Centre for Applied Learning Techniques Managed Learning Environment, to which over 250,000 police officers and staff have access.

Dog Control Orders

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with local authorities regarding the repeal of dog control orders.

Jeremy Browne: Home Office Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of individuals and organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of these are published quarterly on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quarterly-reports-of-ministers-meetings-with-outside-interest-groups
	We have consulted extensively on our antisocial behaviour reforms, and local authorities have played a crucial role in shaping the Bill, including working with Home Office officials to develop the Public Spaces Protection Order which will replace dog control orders.

Dog Control Orders

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Welsh Assembly on the use of dog control notices.

Jeremy Browne: Home Office Ministers have regular meetings with a wide range of partners including the devolved Administrations, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Electronic Surveillance

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of whether the logging of port address translation data relating to mobile telephone internet use and internet protocol address resolution is both technically and economically viable.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 17 June 2013
	Her Majesty's Gracious Speech on 8 May stated that:
	'In relation to the problem of matching internet protocol addresses, my Government will bring forward proposals to enable the protection of the public and the investigation of crime in cyberspace.'
	The Government is looking closely at this issue, and is consulting communications service providers and technical experts in order to ensure that our proposed solution will be both technically and economically viable. We will bring forward proposals in due course.

Electronic Surveillance: USA

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she first became aware of the US Prism programme.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 June 2013
	It is a long-standing practice of successive Governments not to comment on matters of security and intelligence.

Entry Clearances

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current applicants for Home Office travel documents have been waiting (a) less than three months, (b) three to six months, (c) six to nine months, (d) nine to 12 months and (e) more than 12 months from the date of application for their document to be issued.

Mark Harper: holding answer 12 June 2013
	Since February 2012 all travel document applicants have been required to hold, or simultaneously apply, for a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) to confirm their immigration status in the UK. Where an applicant already holds a BRP they need not apply for another. Such applications for BRPs may experience delays if they are rejected, for instance if required information is missing or the wrong fee paid. Rejected in this context means that the application is kept open and the applicant asked to provide the missing information and then reconsidered.
	The current service standard for travel document applications is 98% in 70 days from the date the applicant confirms their status by enrolling their biometrics, or from the date of travel document application where the applicant does not need to enrol their biometrics because they already have a valid Biometric Residence Permit. The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Table 1: Travel document applications awaiting decision, as of 10 June 2013 
			 Length of time decision pending Number of applications 
			 0 to 3 months 4,834 
			 3 to 6 months 3,342 
			 6 to 9 months 1,285 
			 9 to 12 months 1,219 
			 12+ months 121 
			 Total 10,801 
			 Notes: 1. The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. 2. Figures relate to travel document applications raised (ie received) that are pending a decision and are being dealt with by specific travel document teams. 3. The age of cases is calculated based on the length of time between the application raised date and 10 June 2013, when the data was generated.

Procurement

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure that all major contractors to her Department abide by the corporate social responsibility standards.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office's Commercial Policies and Procedures manual outlines, for Home Office staff, mandatory guidance on building corporate social responsibility (CSR) into procurement procedures, to ensure resulting contracts are in line with Government procurement policy. In relation to sustainability, the Home Office has implemented a plan to deliver on the Greening Government Commitments (GGC), supplying quarterly information and contributing to an annual report on progress.
	Additionally, the Department's service terms and conditions applying to all contracts for services reflect CSR requirements, and these are reviewed to reflect the latest thinking. The Home Office also invites its most significant suppliers to self- assess their environmental, social and economic policies and procedures. The Department then works with these suppliers to mitigate risk and realise opportunities.
	The Home Office has also implemented the provisions of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 via the issue of the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Information Note, ‘The Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012—advice for commissioners and procurers’. The Act requires contracting authorities to consider the following at the pre-procurement stage:
	how proposed procurement might improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the relevant area;
	how conducting a procurement process might act with a view to securing that improvement; and
	whether to undertake a consultation on these matters.

Public Spaces Protection Orders

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department plans to publish on the making of public spaces protection orders as outlined in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill.

Jeremy Browne: We plan to produce guidance for frontline professionals on all aspects of our antisocial behaviour reforms, including the public spaces protection order. We are currently working with the police, local authorities and other interested bodies to ensure this will be comprehensive and effective.

UK Border Agency

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 12W, on the UK Border Agency, if she will arrange for the hon. Member for Walsall North to receive a reply from the interim director general, UK Visas and Immigration, to his letter of 28 March 2013, reference H1162268.

Mark Harper: holding answer 6 June 2013
	The Interim Director General of the UK Visas and Immigration wrote to the hon. Member on 6 June 2013.

UK Border Agency

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has paid to customers who incurred additional personal expenditure as a direct result of maladministration by the UK Border Agency in each of the last three years.

Mark Harper: holding answer 17 June 2013
	The Home Office does not record payment data in a format which would allow the question to be answered without incurring disproportionate costs.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

AgustaWestland

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General whether the Serious Fraud Office is assisting overseas prosecutors in any investigations into corruption concerning AgustaWestland.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office regularly provides assistance to overseas prosecutors through the SFO's International Assistance Unit. It would not be appropriate for the SFO to comment on the detail of such matters.

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecutions, in what circumstances the Crown Prosecution Service issues a final warning rather than a charge to an offender whose case is (a) rape-flagged and (b) domestic violence-flagged.

Oliver Heald: Final warnings were replaced by youth cautions in April 2013. Final warnings were only authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for serious offences, such as rape, in exceptional circumstances.
	Domestic violence-flagged offences include a range of incidents, such as sibling fights, theft or damage and a final warning would have been available for a common assault on a family member for a first or second offence.
	When considering a final warning each case was considered on its own facts and merits and all circumstances of the case were taken into consideration, including the views of the victim as well as the age, background and any vulnerability of the defendant. A significant number of final warnings involved defendants who were under 16 years of age.

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecutions, how many of those (a) cautioned, (b) reprimanded and (c) who received a final warning for (i) domestic violence-flagged and (ii) rape-flagged offences in the last three years have subsequently reoffended.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of prosecutions where a defendant had previously been cautioned, reprimanded or issued with a final warning. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution, how many previous warnings from the Crown Prosecution Service each of the recipients of final warnings for rape in 2012-13 had previously received.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of whether recipients of final warnings for rape had previously received a final warning. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise at disproportionate cost.
	Decisions to prosecute or to recommend an out-of court disposal are made on a case by case basis in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. CPS prosecutors will take into account a number of factors including whether a suspect has previous criminal convictions and/or out-of-court disposals before making a charging decision.

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecutions, how many previous warnings from the Crown Prosecution Service each of the recipients of final warnings for domestic violence had received.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of whether recipients of final warnings for cases flagged as domestic violence had previously received a final warning. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise at disproportionate cost.
	Decisions to prosecute or to recommend an out-of-court disposal are made on a case by case basis in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. CPS prosecutors will take into account a number of factors including whether a suspect has previous criminal convictions and/or out-of-court disposals before making a charging decision.

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has recommended an out-of-court disposal for an offence under (a) section 44, (b) section 45 and (c) section 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007; and how many such offences were of a terrorist nature in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of offences under the Serious Crime Act 2007 where an out of court disposal was recommended. This information could only be obtained by examining files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Alternatives to Prosecution

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, column 772W, on alternatives to prosecution, how many of the out-of-court disposals issued from the Crown Prosecution Service were given to perpetrators who had previously received a caution for a similar offence.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of out of court disposals issued to perpetrators who had previously received a caution for a similar offence. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Children: Abuse

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has taken no further action regarding allegations of child abuse involving multiple suspects referred to it by the police for a charging decision.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the numbers of suspects in cases of child abuse through a database monitoring flag identifying cases where a victim is under 18 years of age.
	The table shows, in each of the last five years, the number of child abuse flagged cases in which the CPS decided to take no further action, at the pre-charge decision stage. The CPS case management system is a defendant based system. No central record is kept of pre-charge decisions involving multiple suspects.
	Child abuse includes physical, emotional and sexual criminal offences, as well as neglect, of a child. Such cases would normally include:
	parental assault where reasonable chastisement is not a defence;
	sexual offences;
	child homicides;
	child cruelty, including neglect;
	child prostitution;
	harassment;
	abandonment of a child;
	forced marriage involving an under 18-year-old;
	child pornography;
	trafficked children;
	familial abduction; and
	historical child abuse where victim is now an adult.
	
		
			  No further action NFA (percentage) Total pre-charge decisions 
			 2008-09 4,283 38.6 11,094 
			 2009-10 4,776 37.6 12,691 
			 2010-11 4,738 36.4 13,018 
			 2011-12 3,951 34.0 11,613 
			 2012-13 2;989 31.9 9,381

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what assessment he has made of whether the new Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) policy on right of review will affect the right of victims to seek a judicial review of a decision by the CPS.

Oliver Heald: EWCA Crim 1608).

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the projected annual cost is to the Crown Prosecution Service of bringing in the victims' right to review.

Oliver Heald: The anticipated additional cost to the Crown Prosecution Service of the victims' right to review in 2013-14 is £660,000.

Fraud: Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many corporate prosecutions the Serious Fraud Office undertook in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the five preceding years.

Oliver Heald: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Prosecutions started Prosecutions completed Total on going corporate prosecutions 
			 2012-13 0 0 0 
			 2011-12 0 0 0 
			 2010-11 1 1 1 
			 2009-10 2 2 2 
			 2008-09 0 6 6 
			 2007-08 1 0 6 
		
	
	If a company is to be prosecuted, it is usually necessary in SFO cases to demonstrate that the controlling minds of a company were knowing participants in the criminality being alleged. It is therefore far more common to prosecute individuals rather than corporates.

Legal Aid Scheme and Judicial Review

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General 
	(1)  what his response is to the open letter from Treasury Counsel on the Government's plans to reform legal aid and judicial review;
	(2)  whether he plans to discuss with the Secretary of State for Justice the open letter he received from Treasury Counsel on the Government's plans to reform legal aid and the right to seek judicial review.

Dominic Grieve: I welcome participation by the Bar on the consultation on legal aid which was recently carried out by the Ministry of Justice. I am grateful to all who have taken time to write to me and provide me with the particular insights of those who carry out Government work though membership of the Panels.
	I regularly discuss these policy areas with the Secretary of State for Justice and will continue to do so.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted cases of the downloading and viewing of indecent images of children in each of the last five years; and how many such prosecutions were successful.

Oliver Heald: Offence based records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.
	The following table shows the number of charged offences relating to indecent images of children.
	
		
			 Legislation and Section Offence 2008/-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (S62 (1) and 66(2)) Possession of a prohibited image of a child — — 21 179 394 
			 Criminal Justice Act 1988 (S160 (1), (2A) and (3)) Possession of an indecent photograph of a child 4,241 4,117 4,543 3,885 3,849 
			 Protection of Children Act 1978 (S1 (1)(a) and 6) Making an indecent photograph of a child 13,824 13,975 16,289 15,226 14,033 
			 Protection of Children Act 1978 (S1 (1)(b) and 6) Distributing an indecent photograph of a child 949 824 684 743 836 
			 Protection of Children Act 1978 (S1 (1)(c) and 6) Showing indecent photographs of children 269 137 424 341 317 
			 Protection of Children Act 1978 (S1 (1)(d) and 6) Publishing an advertisement likely to suggest that the advertiser distributes or shows indecent photographs of children. 16 2 3 1 1 
			  Total 19,299 19,055 21,964 20,375 19,430 
		
	
	The offence based records contain no indication of the final prosecution outcome or if the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation.
	It is not possible to identify finalised cases which contained an offence of making an indecent image of a child from central records. To identify these cases would require a manual exercise to review individual files and this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has recommended out-of-court disposal for cases of the downloading and viewing of indecent images of children in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: Offence based records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identity the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced. CPS records do not identity the number of defendants prosecuted for specific offences. Rather, they show the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.
	Offence based data is not captured in respect of pre-charge decisions made by CPS prosecutors, including pre-charge decisions where an out of court disposal is advised. To obtain these data would require a manual exercise to review individual files and this would incur a disproportionate cost.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has taken no further action on allegations of downloading and viewing indecent images of children that have been referred to it by the police for a charging decision in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: Offence based records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced. CPS records do not identify the number of defendants prosecuted for specific offences. Rather, they show the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.
	Offence based data is not captured for pre-charge decisions made by CPS prosecutors, including pre-charge decisions where the CPS decides to take no further action. To identify cases where a pre-charge decision has been made on allegations of making indecent images of children would require a manual exercise to review individual files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the police have referred to the Crown Prosecution Service a charging decision of suspected cases of the downloading and viewing of indecent images of children in each of the last five years.

Oliver Heald: Offence based records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify cases involving indecent images of children by the number of relevant offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts. Offence based data is not held for pre-charge decisions made by CPS prosecutors. To identify cases referred to the CPS by the police which involve allegations of making indecent images of children would require a manual exercise to review individual files which would attract a disproportionate cost.

Police Cautions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Knowsley of 4 June 2013, Official Report, column 1377, on rape convictions, if he will require the Crown Prosecution Service to record the number of occasions when it recommends a caution for all indictable-only offences.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) already maintains a central record of the number of occasions when it recommends a caution for an indictable-only offence.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has received a referral from the police for a charging decision for a suspected offence under (a) section 44, (b) section 45 and (c) section 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 in each of the last five years; and how many such referrals were for cases of a terrorist nature.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of offences under the Serious Crime Act 2007 which were referred for a charging decision. This information could only be obtained by examining all of the files sent to the CPS for charging advice, which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has prosecuted an offence under (a) section 44, (b) section 45 and (c) section 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 in each of the last five years; how many such cases were against offences of a terrorist nature; and how many such prosecutions were successful.

Oliver Heald: Offence based records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) identify the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced. CPS records do not identify the number of defendants prosecuted for specific offences. Rather, they show the number of offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in magistrates courts.
	The number of offences charged under sections 44, 45 and 46 of the Serious Crime Act 2007 are as follows:
	
		
			   2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Serious Crime Act 2007 (44) Intentionally encouraging or assisting the commission of other offence 0 9 29 99 77 
			 Serious Crime Act 2007 (45) Encouraging/assisting the commission of other offence believing it will be committed. 1 9 16 45 50 
			 Serious Crime Act 2007 (46) Encouraging or assisting the commission of other offence believing one or more will be committed. 0 2 8 16 39 
		
	
	The offence based records contain no indication of the final prosecution outcome or whether the charged offence was the substantive charge at the time of finalisation. It is also often the case that an individual defendant can be charged with more than one offence in the same case.
	Five of the charged offences in the table above related to cases that were referred to the CPS's specialist Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division. None of them were terrorism cases or were subject to terrorism charges.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Company Accounts

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints Companies House has (a) received and (b) acted upon on firms failing to disclose overseas subsidiaries under the Companies Act 2006 in each financial year since 2010-11.

Michael Fallon: Companies House has received a total of 91 complaints since 2010 which relate to the failure to disclosure overseas subsidiaries. The number of complaints (a) received and (b) acted upon in each financial year is:
	
		
			  Number Withdrawn upon investigation 
			 2010-11 65 2 
			 2011-12 8 2 
			 2012-13 18 1 
		
	
	All of the complaints were investigated. Those complaints that were not withdrawn were followed up with the company; all the companies complied after being contacted by Companies House.

Company Accounts

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many failures to disclose overseas subsidiaries under the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 have been made in each financial year since 2010-11; and how many overseas subsidiaries were found to be undeclared in each such year.

Michael Fallon: The number of failures to disclose overseas subsidiaries under the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 that have been made in each financial year since 2010-11 is as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010-11 63 
			 2011-12 6 
			 2012-13 17 
		
	
	Companies House does not record the number of undeclared overseas subsidiaries.

Company Accounts

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in his Department and its executive agencies are currently working on enforcement of requirements to disclose overseas subsidiaries under the Companies Act 2006.

Michael Fallon: Companies House has nine case officers in its technical offences and breaches teams that, among their other duties, are currently working on enforcement of requirements to disclose overseas subsidiaries.

Company Accounts

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many successful actions have been brought against firms for failing to comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 on the declaration of overseas subsidiaries in each financial year since 2010-11.

Michael Fallon: Companies House has received a total of 91 complaints since 2010 which relate to the failure to disclosure overseas subsidiaries, five of which were withdrawn.
	In each financial year since 2010/11 Companies House has investigated the following number of complaints made against firms for failing to comply with the requirement of the Companies Act 2006 on the declaration of overseas subsidiaries.
	
		
			  Number Withdrawn upon investigation 
			 2010-11 65 2 
			 2011-13 8 2 
			 2012-13 18 1 
		
	
	All the companies complied after being contacted by Companies House and, to date, no prosecution action has been taken against any companies. Companies House's primary role is to seek to ensure compliance with legislative requirements, and prosecution action is only considered in the light of a persistent and wilful failure by any company to comply.

Company Accounts

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many open cases investigating firms for failing to comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 on the declaration of overseas subsidiaries are currently in progress in (a) Companies House and (b) other relevant investigating agency.

Michael Fallon: There are no open cases at Companies House, which is the only investigating agency.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

Jo Swinson: We are unable to supply full details of suspensions, as authority to suspend staff is delegated to line managers in some circumstances and no central record is maintained.
	This information is not held by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in respect of non-departmental public bodies.

Exports

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will review the recommendation of the British Chambers of Commerce report entitled Exporting is good for Britain but knowledge gaps and language skills hold back exporters, that the Government considers financial incentives for non-exporting businesses that train up their existing staff to export.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has a number of services aimed at preparing businesses for exporting. These include schemes such as Passport to Export and Gateway to Global Growth aimed at new exporters and more experienced exporting SMEs, providing advice, guidance and support to help new to export businesses. These schemes provide an assessment of exporting capability, and include face to face training from export professionals.
	With the additional funding made available in last year's autumn statement—5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882—UKTI will provide export voucher funding for Passport and Gateway companies which companies can choose to spend on a variety of export services. That could include language training or wider training needs, as well as other services offered by UKTI and external suppliers.

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the hon. Member for Walsall North will receive a reply to his letter of 2 May 2013 on behalf of a constituent (departmental case ref 335557); and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.

Jo Swinson: The Minister concerned wrote to the hon. Member on 17 June 2013. There has been a large volume of correspondence recently and some replies have regrettably fallen outside our 15 working day target. As a result we are re-appraising our processes to expedite replies more punctually.

Pay: Wales

Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the change in the real wages of workers in Wales since May 2010.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the change in real wages of workers in Wales since May 2010. (160446)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Weekly levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, whose earnings for the survey pay period were not affected by absence.
	The change in the real earnings of employees in Wales between April 2010 and April 2012, the latest period for which figures are available, based on median full-time gross weekly earnings, is estimated to be minus 6.7 per cent. I attach a table showing the figures that were used in this calculation.
	
		
			 Real earnings change in median gross weekly earnings (£) of full-time employees(1) in Wales between April 2010 and April 2012 
			  Median full-time gross weekly earnings (£) Consumer Prices Index Median full-time gross weekly earnings at April 2010 prices (£) Real earnings change between April 2010 and April 2012(percentage) 
			 April 2010 450.8 114.2 450.8 — 
			 April 2012 452.6 122.9 420.5 -6.7 
			 (1 )Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics.

Post Offices

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance he has issued to the Post Office on (a) opportunities which support the business growth of sub-post offices and (b) preventing concentration of workload in urban Crown offices.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd operates at arm's length from Government as its shareholder and but we fully support the company's strategy of seeking to identify and develop new opportunities, such as the Post Office current account being trialled in a number of post office branches in East Anglia including King’s Lynn in the hon. Member’s constituency, for business distribution and growth across the network as a whole.

Post Offices

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has produced estimates to analyse and examine the loss of income to post offices incurred when the check and send service for driving licence applications ended in May 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for commercial and operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which cover the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Post Offices: Photographs

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department had with representatives of the (i) Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, (ii) Post Office, (iii) UK Border Agency and (iv) Identity and Passport Service to discuss the implications of new digital technology to process photo ID applications in post offices in each of the last three years.

Jo Swinson: Ministers in this Department have had wide ranging discussions with Post Office Ltd about opportunities for new revenue growth, including through the use of digital ID technology, over the last three years. But decisions about the procurement and introduction of digital technology to process photo ID applications in post offices are commercial and contractual matters for the Post Office and the relevant Government agencies and my Department plays no part in them.

Post Offices: Photographs

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what commercial viability studies took place prior to the installation of Cogent digital technology in 755 post offices.

Jo Swinson: Post Office Ltd is responsible for commercial and operational matters concerning the Post Office network, which include the information requested. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the chief executive of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

CABINET OFFICE

Business: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many businesses with over 500 employees have premises in (a) Coventry South constituency and (b) Coventry.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many businesses with over 500 employees have premises in (a) Coventry South Constituency and (b) Coventry
	Annual statistics on the number of businesses (enterprises) are available from the ONS release – UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
	Data on the number of enterprises broken down by districts, counties and unitary authorities by employment size band can be found in table B1.2 of the publication and data on constituencies can be found in table B6.2.
	The tables below contain the count of UK enterprises with over 500 employees that have premises in the Coventry South Constituency and Coventry. This figure is then broken down into those enterprises that are based in Coventry and the Coventry South Constituency and those based elsewhere.
	
		
			 Count of enterprises with over 500 employees that have premises in Coventry South constituency 
			  Number 
			 UK-based enterprises 380 
			 Coventry South constituency-based enterprises 15 
			 Enterprises based outside Coventry South constituency 365 
		
	
	
		
			 Count of enterprises with over 500 employees that have premises in Coventry 
			  Number 
			 UK-based enterprises 520 
			 Coventry-based enterprises 30 
			 Enterprises based outside Coventry 490 
			 Notes: 1. The table has been produced using an annual extract from the Inter Departmental Business register taken during March 2012. 2. Figures have been rounded to protect confidentiality. 3. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE.

Business: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many small and medium-sized enterprises have premises in (a) Coventry South constituency and (b) Coventry.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many small and medium-sized enterprises have premises in (a) Coventry South Constituency and (b) Coventry [159951.]
	Annual statistics on the number of businesses (enterprises) are available from the ONS release—UK Business: Activity, Size and Location at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/bus-register/uk-business/index.html
	Data on the number of enterprises broken down by districts, counties and unitary authorities by employment size band can be found in table B1.2 of the publication and data on constituencies can be found in table B6.2.
	The tables below contain the count of small and medium-sized UK enterprises that have premises in the Coventry South Constituency and Coventry. This figure is then broken down into those enterprises that are based in Coventry, the Coventry South Constituency and those based elsewhere. Small businesses have been defined as those with an employment between 0 and 49 and medium-sized businesses as those with an employment between 50 and 249.
	
		
			 Count of small and medium-sized enterprises that have premises in Coventry South constituency 
			 Size of business UK based enterprises Coventry South constituency based enterprises Enterprises based outside Coventry South constituency 
			 Small 3,270 3,205 65 
			 Medium 175 75 100 
		
	
	
		
			 Count of small and medium-sized enterprises that have premises in Coventry 
			 Size of business UK based enterprises Coventry based enterprises Enterprises based outside Coventry 
			 Small 7,295 7,170 125 
			 Medium 275 115 160 
			 Notes: 1. The above table has been produced using an annual extract from the Inter Departmental Business register taken during March 2012. 2. Figures have been rounded to protect confidentiality. 3. These numbers do not include very small businesses, typically those below the threshold for VAT and PAYE.

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to reduce the gap in generational giving.

Nick Hurd: This Government is committed to driving up the levels of giving—both time and money—for all generations.
	The Government has funded a number of projects targeted at younger people including through our Innovation in Giving Fund. For example, we have funded Young Philanthropy and the Giving Lab.
	We are also enabling and encouraging young people to give their time through National Citizen Service (NCS). NCS brings 16 and 17-year-olds of all backgrounds together to design and deliver social action projects to benefit their local communities. Furthermore, the Decade of Social Action is working to improve the quality, quantity and duration of opportunities for young people aged 10 to 20, before, alongside, and after NCS, so that greater numbers of young people can take part in social action.
	The Government has recently consulted on improvements to Payroll Giving, and the Government will shortly consult on proposals to make it easier to claim Gift Aid through a wide range of digital giving channels.
	I am aware that the right hon. Member is chairing an inquiry on behalf of the Charities Aid Foundation on this and I look forward to reading the final report.

Charities

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the importance and role of charity trustees.

Nick Hurd: Charity trustees play a vital role in civil society; one to which many people give selflessly of their time. From the smallest community groups to the largest international charities, none could operate without the leadership and strategic direction of their volunteer trustees. I would encourage more people, and in particular young people, to get involved as charity trustees. Trusteeship offers an opportunity to gain new skills and experience that are attractive and useful to employers, while helping others in an unparalleled and rewarding way.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

Francis Maude: I am disappointed that records prior to 2010 are not available to place these numbers in context. However, I have no reason to believe that the rate of suspensions has increased over recent years.
	In my department five or fewer individuals were suspended in total in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13. Salary costs incurred during these suspensions are estimated at £4,453.
	Across our public bodies five or fewer were suspended in total in 2010-11 and 2011/12, and six in 2012-13, The costs incurred as a result of these suspensions was £9,272.

Employment: County Antrim

William McCrea: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of people in South Antrim constituency were employed in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of people in South Antrim constituency were employed in the (a) private and (b) public sector in each of the last three years (160098).
	The requested information for parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland is riot available from the ONS. This question is therefore a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Job Creation: Bradford

David Ward: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs created in Bradford in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs created in Bradford in each of the last five years. (160361)
	Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net changes in the number of people employed have been provided. The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for areas below the UK following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
	The table shows the number and net change of people employed in Bradford. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period January 2012 to December 2012, the latest period available, and the 12 month periods ending in December in each year since 2008.
	As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty, A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table 1: The net change in number of people employed in Bradford 
			 Thousand 
			 12 months ending: Number of people employed aged 16 and over Net change in employment(1) (+/-) 
			 December 2008 222 — 
			 December 2009 220 -2 
			 December 2010 205 -15 
			 December 2011 206 1 
			 December 2012(2) *218 12 
			 (1) The net change is calculated on unrounded figures. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220 Key: * 0 = CV<5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ? 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office neither leases or owns any property in Scotland.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government currently have one member of staff seconded to one of the big four accountancy firms. This is a fast stream training opportunity and the pay grade of the secondee is PB4.9 HEO Fast Stream.

Council Tax Reduction Schemes

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to extend or repeat the transition funding provided to local authorities in respect of council tax support schemes.

Brandon Lewis: The transitional grant, as the name suggests, was a voluntary grant for the first year of the new system of local council tax support. We have been clear from the outset that it was intended to give councils time to transition to the new localised regime and realise greater efficiencies—such as cutting the £200 million wasted from council tax benefit fraud and error.
	The localisation of council tax support is helping tackle the deficit inherited from the last Administration, delivering ongoing savings of £470 million a year of taxpayers' money. This welfare reform has given all councils stronger incentives to cut fraud, promote local enterprise and get people back into work.

Energy Performance Certificates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of new commercial leases granted together with a current energy performance certificate.

Don Foster: The Department does not hold information on the number of new commercial leasing transactions, and so is unable to estimate the proportion of new commercial leases granted together with a current energy performance certificate.

Energy Performance Certificates

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the proportion of commercial properties sold together with a current energy performance certificate since 2010.

Don Foster: An energy performance certificate has been a requirement for a sale of a commercial building since October 2008.
	Official statistics are not produced in the form requested. A snapshot has previously been produced, using HMRC property transactions data and the energy performance certificate register data, from March 2010 to March 2012, which suggests approximately half of commercial properties in that period were sold with a current certificate (caveat: these figures are not quality assured). This is a reflection of practices under the past Administration, not just the current Government.
	Notwithstanding, the regulations were revised in January 2013 to require property adverts to include the energy performance certificate rating; this should help raise public awareness of what is required and what potential buyers should expect, and thereby help increase the proportion of properties sold with a certificate.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Details of the funding provided to the London borough of Enfield (and each local authority in England) by my Department under each yearly Local Government Finance Settlement are available online at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/
	It would entail disproportionate cost to ascertain every single payment that may have been made to Enfield in the last five years. Notwithstanding, details of my Department's spending over £500 (and from August 2012, over £250) since 2008, which includes grants, can be found on my Department's website as part of our online transparency agenda.
	Funding was also provided directly to the London borough of Enfield in this period by the Homes and Communities Agency, separately from funding for housing associations and other registered providers operating in the borough, as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10 2,340,263.90 
			 2010-11 1,155,370.21 
			 2011-12 0 
		
	
	The Localism Act 2011 conferred on the Mayor of London responsibility for housing, economic development and Olympic legacy in London, in addition to existing responsibilities over transport, planning and the police. The Homes and Communities Agency's powers and responsibilities in London were transferred to the Greater London Authority in April 2012. The Greater London Authority paid the London borough of Enfield £18,000,000 in respect of former Homes and Communities Agency functions, for the council housing decent homes backlog, in 2012-13; in addition, £220,000 funding was paid to Enfield in respect of the Greater London Authority's Outer London Fund.
	No other departmental agencies/non-departmental public bodies payments to the London borough of Enfield in this period.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many (a) social, (b) other affordable and (c) other housing units starts on site have commenced using the borrowing guarantees scheme to date; and what the value was of starts of each such type of unit.

Mark Prisk: The Government is making good progress with the Housing Guarantees and remains on track to deliver the schemes. We are currently in a procurement process and plan to make an announcement shortly regarding the delivery partner(s) and plans for taking forward delivery of the schemes. When the Guarantees are up and running, we expect them to significantly help expand the provision of large scale professionally managed rented housing and support economic growth.
	The £1 Billion Build to Rent Fund is up and running which will work alongside the Housing Guarantees. I announced in April the short list of projects going through to due diligence from Round One which we anticipate going under contract to deliver up to 10,000 new homes for private rent. We anticipate Round Two opening for business later this year.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1125-6W, on mortgages: Government assistance, if he will confirm whether or not non-EU citizens will be barred from applying for the Help to Buy equity loan scheme.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 20 May 2013
	In October 2006, the Labour Government quietly removed nationality restrictions on eligibility criteria from Government-supported shared ownership and HomeBuy schemes.
	For both social housing and home ownership schemes, Ministers in this Government want greater priority to be given to local residents and members of the armed forces. We want to ensure that housing support is focused on supporting those who have worked hard and paid their taxes, and end the ‘something for nothing’ culture.
	As the Prime Minister made clear in his answer of 12 June 2013, Official Report, columns 336-7, Help to Buy should not subsidise foreign buyers to purchase second homes and holiday cottages. The equity loan rules already prevent second home owners or buy to let landlords from taking part in the scheme.
	We will be making changes to the policy introduced by the last Administration, and will be providing a further statement in due course on the steps we are taking.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many inquiries about the Government's Help to Buy scheme have been received from Warrington to date.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many enquiries have been made with regards to the Government's Help to Buy scheme in (a) Barnsley metropolitan borough council area, (b) Barnsley Central constituency, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England since that scheme's inception.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds) on 11 June 2013, Official Report, columns 223-24W.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether EU citizens who exercise Treaty rights to reside in the UK and who (a) do and (b) do not have a credit record will be able to participate in the Help to Buy scheme;
	(2)  whether foreign nationals who have a (a) bank account, (b) credit card, (c) personal loan, (d) business loan, (e) mobile telephone contract and (f) hire purchase agreement in the UK will be eligible to participate in the Help to Buy scheme on the basis that they have a UK credit record;
	(3)  whether foreign nationals who have a credit record in the UK will be eligible to participate in the Help to Buy scheme.

Mark Prisk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow North (Ann McKechin) today—PQ 156260.
	More broadly, on the issue of credit, Help to Buy is intended to increase the availability of mortgages to creditworthy buyers who do not have a large deposit to help them move on and up the property ladder.
	I would note that the Help to Buy (equity loan) Buyer's Guide makes clear that a Local Help to Buy Agent will carry out an assessment of an application by a potential Help to Buy buyer to ensure that they are in a position to afford a conventional mortgage for their proposed purchase. The property purchased must be their only residence. Help to Buy is not available to assist buy-to-let investors or those who will own any property other than their Help to Buy property after completing their purchase. The conventional mortgage will be subject to the usual checks and due diligence by the mortgage lender.
	The Help to Buy mortgage guarantee scheme, to commence in January, is overseen by HM Treasury.

Rents: Arrears

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many social housing tenants in each local authority were in rent arrears in (a) March 2013, (b) April 2013 and (c) May 2013.

Mark Prisk: This information is not held centrally.

Rents: Arrears

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many evictions for rent arrears took place in each month in each local authority since January 2010.

Mark Prisk: Monthly figures are not held centrally.

Temporary Accommodation

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on temporary accommodation due to homelessness in each month since January 2010.

Mark Prisk: This Department does not provide any specific funding to meet the costs of temporary accommodation. Depending on individual circumstances the costs of temporary accommodation are met by housing benefit; local authorities; and/or the tenants themselves.

Travel

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his Department's budget for ministerial travel for (a) the Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other is for (i) 2013-14, (ii) 2014-15 and (iii) 2015-16;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) Government Car Service, (b) private hire vehicles, (c) taxis, (d) rail, (e) aviation and (f) other means in each year of the current parliament.

Brandon Lewis: Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country. Where time commitments allow, Ministers also seek to make visits to localities across the country.
	My Department does not hold budgets specifically for each category of travel. All travel costs for my Department are met from within the administration budget. The administration budget for 2015-16 will depend on the outcome of spending review.
	This Government have taken a series of steps to reduce the cost of ministerial travel. Our departmental spend with the Government Car and Despatch Agency on ministerial travel has fallen 71% from 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	Details for the cost of ministerial cars are published in the annual written ministerial statement, 28 October 2010, Official Report column 23WS; 16 January 2012, Official Report, column 30WS; 20 December 2012, Official Report, column 127WS. Details of the costs for 2012-13 will be published in the normal way later this year.
	Use of a Hackney Carriage taxi is often cheaper and more cost-effective than using the pool car arrangements provided by the Government Car Service. From 2008-09 to 2009-10, expenditure by ministerial offices was £3,751; comparative spending from 2010-11 to 2011-12 was £3,248 and £1,421 from April 2012 to January 2013. This figure includes travel by staff within ministerial offices—it is not a figure solely for travel by Ministers.
	Figures on travel by Ministers by other modes of travel could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the contribution made by regional development agencies to growth in the creative industries.

Edward Vaizey: The regional development agencies delivered extremely poor value for money from their inflated taxpayer-funded budgets. Covering the sprawling Government office regions, they were distant and remote from local business, and the arbitrary regions had no connection with natural economic areas. Their boards were packed with quangocrats and trade unionists, rather than entrepreneurs. Their remit was too broad and unfocused, and they answered to the tune of Whitehall targets not the views and needs of local enterprise.
	Local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) have been set up in place of RDAs; these will bring together businesses and local authorities to determine local economic priorities and undertake activities to drive economic growth and the creation of local jobs, including within the creative industries.
	The Government fully recognises the value of the creative industries. These sectors have a key role in growing our economy and contributing to British culture and we are determined to work closely with partners, including LEPs, to create the best possible environment to support business growth.

Culture: Education

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she plans to publish the Cultural Education Plan.

Edward Vaizey: The Cultural Education Plan is due to be published by DFE and DCMS within the next few weeks.

Internet: Safety

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what commitments she has received from internet search providers on (a) making safe search the default mechanism, (b) introducing a robust age verification system and (c) putting up warning signs when people are about to enter pornography sites; and whether a timetable has been agreed for the introduction of such measures.

Edward Vaizey: Through the UK Council on Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), Government works with industry, including internet search engines, to ensure robust measures are in place to protect children online.
	All the major search engines offer safe search options which allow parents to adjust filtering levels and many also allow parents to lock the level of filtering for that search engine on a specific device, so the child cannot change the level of filtering. In addition, Government has been working with internet service providers to make parental control tools available to all their customers.
	Government is also, through UKCCIS, supporting the work with industry to look at how age verification processes could be implemented.
	On returning warning signs when users access illegal child abuse images, the internet industry in the UK has worked closely with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), and with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, to block access to such content online. The IWF recommends that its members return an error page notifying users that they have tried to access indecent images of children and, at a summit I have called with the major internet companies, I intend to explore what more could be done here, and more widely, to minimise internet harms.

Museums and Galleries

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much public funding was provided to the (a) Science Museum Group, (b) National Railway Museum, York, (c) Television and Media Museum, Bradford and (d) Industry Museum, Manchester in each year since 2009-10; and how much public funding will be provided to each in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) each of the next two years.

Edward Vaizey: DCMS provides grant in aid to the Science Museum Group as a whole. The total grant in aid received by the Science Museum Group from 2009-13, and its allocations for 2013-15, are set out in the table:
	
		
			 Science Museum Group 
			  £000 
			 2009-10 40,608 
			 2010-11 40,153 
			 2011-12 37,588 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 43,660 
			 2013-14 42,247 
			 2014-15 41,832 
		
	
	From 2012-13, grant in aid for the National Coal Mining Museum for England is channelled through the Science Museum Group as follows:
	£2,657 million (2012-13);
	£2.562 million (2013-14);
	£2.529 million (2014-15).
	These allocations are included in the totals in the table.
	The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester merged with the Science Museum Group in February 2012. Prior to that, it received the following grant in aid from DCMS:
	£4.987 million (2009-10);
	£4.882 million (2010-11);
	£3.998 million (2011-12).
	Allocations for 2015-16 will be determined as part of the current spending round, alongside all other Government spending.

Science Museum Group

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department has allocated to the (a) Science Museum Group and (b) Museum of Science and Industry (Manchester) for (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14, (v) 2014-15 and (vi) 2015-16.

Edward Vaizey: The total grant-in-aid received by the Science Museum Group from 2010-13, and its allocations for 2013-15 are set out in the following table. An allocation has not yet been made for 2015-16.
	
		
			  SMG (£000) 
			 2009-10 40,608 
			 2010-11 40,153 
			 2011-12 37,588 
			 2012-13 43,660 
			 2013-14 42,247 
			 2014-15 41,832 
		
	
	From 2012-13, grant-in-aid for the National Coal Mining Museum for England will be channelled through the Science Museum Group as follows: £2,657 million (2012-13); £2.562 million (2013-14); £2.529 million (2014-15). These allocations are included in the totals above.
	The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester merged with the Science Museum Group in February 2012. Prior to that, it received the following grant-in-aid from DCMS: £4.882 million (2010-11); £3.998 million (2011-12).

Sports: Disability

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 21 May 2013, Official Report, column 67WS, on sporting legacy, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the funding of £1,984,203 for the English Federation of Disability Sport for 2013-15 will effectively reach the voluntary sector.

Hugh Robertson: Sport England is investing £1,984,203 for 2013-15 in the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS), which has existing relationships with organisations in the voluntary sector, through partnerships with the National Disability Sport Organisations and other national organisations. Through its Engagement Team, EFDS will help National Governing Bodies (NGBs) link to local voluntary organisations, who are working with disabled people, to create more sporting opportunities for disabled people.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1643, on per capita carbon emissions, what assessment he has made of the role of the EU Green Growth Group; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The EU Green Growth Group is an important part of the UK's engagement and co-operation with other EU member states on climate change and low carbon energy issues.
	The group was responsible for instigating the statement from nine European Energy and Environment Ministers, including the UK, France and Germany, calling on the Commission to take action to reform the EU Emissions Trading System.
	The group will play an important role in providing the political leadership needed to deliver clear and credible EU low carbon ambition up to and beyond 2020. This will be needed to stimulate low carbon investments and the most cost-effective emission reductions, and ultimately to ensure that the EU continues as a leading bloc in global climate change talks.

Fracking: Wales

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent representations he has received from the Welsh Government regarding shale gas exploration in Wales.

Michael Fallon: None.

Fuel Poverty

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 1656, what the evidential basis is for the statement that support for fuel poverty will increase over the lifetime of the spending review.

Gregory Barker: The statement is based on a combination of reported budgets for public expenditure on fuel poverty schemes and published estimates of expenditure associated with past and current energy supplier obligations which either fully or partly target households at risk of fuel poverty. A comparison of the figure for 2010-11 with 2014-15 shows there is an increase over that period.
	Specifically, reported and estimated support available for fuel poor households in 2010-11 has been compared to estimated support that will be available in 2014-15 under the following schemes, with all estimates expressed in 2012 constant prices for true comparability:
	Warm Front: reported expenditure on all eligible households in 2010-11
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/199827/Indicators_Text_2013_FINAL.pdf
	The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT): the estimated share of expenditure that was targeted at households eligible for the 'Super Priority Group' in 2010-11. The estimate is based on
	(a) Original CERT impact assessment:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/48491/121-iacertextension.pdf
	(b) CERT 'Uplift' impact assessment:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121217150421/http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/consultations/carbon%20emissions%20reduction%20target/1_20090630122512_e_@@_certimpactassessment.pdf
	(c) CERT Extension impact assessment:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/42587/899-ia-cert-role-appliances-consumer-electroni.pdf
	The Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP): estimated expenditure on all households in eligible areas in 2010-11 (estimate based on the CESP impact assessment):
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100404202125/http://man270109a.decc.gov.uk/Media/viewfile.ashx?FilePath=Consultations/CESP/1_20090710121840_e_@@_CESPIA.pdf&filetype=4
	The voluntary agreement to support vulnerable and fuel poor households: reported expenditure on all households in receipt of support in 2010/11:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Sustainability/SocAction/Suppliers/CSR/Documents1/Suppliers%20Social%20Spend%20report%202010-2011.pdf
	The Warm Home Discount scheme: the value of support obligated suppliers are required to provide in 2014-15:
	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2011/1033/pdfs/uksi_20111033_en.pdf
	The Energy Companies Obligation (ECO): estimated total expenditure on households in receipt of support under the Affordable Warmth and Carbon Saving Communities obligations in 2014-15 (estimated based on the Green Deal and ECO impact assessment):
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/42984/5533-final-stage-impact-assessment-for-the-green-deal-a.pdf

Green Deal Scheme

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to ensure that households living in (a) private rented housing and (b) privately-owned housing are able to access the Green Deal scheme.

Gregory Barker: The Green Deal framework is in place, and Green Deal providers are developing their offers to owner occupiers, social housing providers and landlords and tenants in the private rental sector. DECC is actively involved in supporting Green Deal providers and in raising awareness across the market. This activity includes a marketing campaign and a range of media partnerships, and an investment of more than £22 million in local authorities and the supply chain to develop skills and raise awareness. DECC continues to work with industry and third sector groups to raise awareness and enhance demand.

Green Deal Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of customer satisfaction with the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: The Department will publish research on the experience of consumers having the first Green Deal assessments later this month.

Insulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase employment opportunities in the UK insulation industry in the light of recent job losses in that industry.

Gregory Barker: The ECO and the Green Deal are expected to support up to 60,000 jobs in the insulation sector by 2015 compared to 26,000 in 2011.
	In order to facilitate the transition between the CERT and CESP schemes and the new ECO, we provided £2 million of support, through the Sector Skills Council, for training of insulation installers to deliver solid wall insulation. We also took steps to support the wider insulation industry. We launched the Green Deal cash back scheme worth £125 million to support demand for insulation and heating measures, and allowed more loft and cavity walls to be treated under the new Energy Company Obligation—around three million additional cavity walls are now eligible.

Insulation

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had with representatives of the insulation industry since the implementation of the Green Deal.

Gregory Barker: Departmental officials, ministerial colleagues and I meet regularly with representatives of the insulation industry. In addition, the Green Deal oversight and Registration Body have established a Green Deal Installer Forum to help ensure the effective delivery of the Green Deal. Both departmental officials and representatives from the insulation industry are members of this group.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Gregory Barker: The Department does not own any property in Scotland.

Radioactive Waste

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which individuals and organisations have been invited to his Department's non-governmental organisation workshop on the review of the site selection process for a geological disposal facility for high-activity radioactive waste in London on 18 June 2013; what documentation has been provided in advance to attendees; what resources have been provided to attendees to facilitate attendance; which individuals or organisations declined invitations; and what reasons were given for invitations being declined.

Michael Fallon: The invitation to the workshop on 18 June 2013 was extended to Prof Andrew Blowers of the Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group, Simon Bullock and Dr Ruth Balogh of Friends of the Earth, Jean McSorley and Doug Parr of Greenpeace, Pete Wilkinson of Communities Against Nuclear Expansion, Harry Huyton of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Nicolas Molho of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Patrick Begg of the National Trust, Alastair Harper of Green Alliance, and Adam Royle of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.
	One of these invitations has been declined: by Adam Royle, who sent apologies.
	Attendees have been sent a proposed agenda for the meeting, which also sets out that Government's purpose in seeking the meeting is to inform the Government's review of the site selection aspects of the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely process. They have also been sent a copy of the Government's recent call for evidence on this subject.
	The workshop is separate from and in addition to the regular DECC Nuclear NGO Forum, which last met on 28 February 2013 and will meet again on 3 July 2013. There will be further opportunities for direct engagement with NGOs during and after the Government's planned consultation on this subject later in the year.
	The Government has offered to pay attendees' expenses.

Renewable Energy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to ensure gasification and pyrolysis technologies are supported under Electricity Market Reform.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 17 June 2013
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 13 June 2013, Official Report, column 412W.

Wind Power

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to his statement of 6 June 2013, Official Report, column 115WS, on onshore wind, if he will extend the requirements for community benefit payments to other energy generation methods.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 17 June 2013
	In the 2011 National Infrastructure Plan, the Government committed to bringing forward a community package for nuclear new build sites and the agreed details of such a package will be announced shortly.
	We committed in the budget to bring forward proposals by the summer to ensure people benefit from shale gas production if there is development in their area. We are working hard with industry on a package of community benefits and to ensure that local peoples' concerns are properly met.

Wind Power

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the (a) financial value and (b) number of full-time equivalent jobs provided in the UK by the wind turbine supply chain in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not measure employment levels in specific sectors.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills commissioned and published a report in 2011 that measured employment in the Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector (LCEGS), which is available on the bis.gov.uk website at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/BISCore/business-sectors/docs/l/12-p143-low-carbon-environmental-goods-and-services-2010-11.pdf

Wind Power

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of jobs provided by (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind operations in each of the last five years.

Michael Fallon: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills commissioned and published a report in 2011 that measured employment in the Low Carbon Environmental Goods and Services Sector (LCEGS), which is available on the bis.gov.uk website at:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/BISCore/business-sectors/docs/l/12-p143-low-carbon-environmental-goods-and-services-2010-11.pdf

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Turkey

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he or officials of his Department have had with the authorities in Turkey on improving safety for white water rafting for British visitors to that country.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has been a tireless campaigner on this issue. I raised the issue of safety for white water rafting with Omer Celik, the Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister at our meeting in April this year, asking him to look at the regulatory system for dangerous sports. The UK has offered support and assistance for doing this.

Turkey

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Turkish government on police tactics against Turkish protestors.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed the protests with Ahmet Davutoglu, the Turkish Foreign Minister on 11 June as part of a broader discussion and encouraged a peaceful resolution. I made the same points to the Turkish EU Affairs Minister, Egemen Bagis, on 13 June. We will continue to follow events closely.
	Freedom of expression and assembly are important rights in any democracy. We welcome statements from the Turkish Government recognising that some of the concerns raised by the protestors are legitimate. We support all efforts to address protesters concerns through dialogue.

Saudi Arabia

Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs shat recent reports he has received on the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia.

Alistair Burt: The UK believes that states are stronger with full participation of women in society, a view we express to the Saudi authorities. The Saudi Government has made progress in areas such as representation in the Shura Council and education and we will continue to engage on these issues.

DRC and Rwanda

Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on political relations between the Governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

Mark Simmonds: The Governments of Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, along with nine other countries from the region have signed a peace, security and co-operation framework. We welcome this and are encouraging all signatories to implement their commitments in full, and to develop constructive relationships which will lead to long-term peace and security in the region.

Middle East

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK missions in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem purchase settlement goods.

Alistair Burt: Our overseas missions are obliged to follow UK and EU guidelines when purchasing goods and services from suppliers. These guidelines do not currently differentiate between products emanating from Israel or from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, we have ensured that UK procurement rules allow for human rights related matters to be reflected in the procurement of public goods and services.

Middle East

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure the safety and rights of religious minorities in the middle east.

Alistair Burt: We regularly urge governments at senior levels across the middle east to uphold the rights of all religious minorities; we raise our specific concerns with governments; and closely monitor the situation of minority religious groups. We have recently raised the importance of protecting minorities' rights in Egypt and Syria specifically.
	The situation affects a number of religious minorities across the middle east is one of exceptional seriousness. We make direct interventions with Governments, including on individual cases and continue to urge Governments across the middle east to uphold the rights of all religious minorities.

Syria

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations his Department has made to the Russian Government on the situation in Syria.

William Hague: My Department discuss Syria regularly with the Russian Government. Most recently, on 16 June, I spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. I was clear about the UK’s commitment to a political settlement to the crisis in Syria and pressed him to agree the details of the Geneva II conference. I also made clear to him my concerns over continued Russian arms support to the Syrian regime which is only bolstering Assad’s position and reinforcing his ability to brutalise his population.

Syria

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effects of the expiration of the recent EU arms embargo on the prospects for peace talks in Syria.

Alistair Burt: EU nations agreed to bring the arms embargo on the Syrian opposition to an end. This was the outcome that the United Kingdom wanted. It was a difficult decision for some countries, but it was necessary and right to reinforce international efforts to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria.
	It was important for Europe to send a clear signal to the Assad regime that it has to negotiate seriously, and that all options remain on the table if it refuses to do so. EU nations have done just that.
	Thousands of lives are at stake in Syria. Our focus remains on efforts to secure a successful outcome at the forthcoming Geneva conference, and a political transition that ends the conflict, allows refugees to return to their homes, and prevents further radicalisation in Syria.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to support Bosnia to become a member of NATO; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The UK Government is a strong supporter of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) NATO ambitions. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), reiterated this to the BiH Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija when he visited London in April. BiH's political leaders have failed to resolve the issue of immovable defence property that is holding up their NATO Membership Action Plan despite giving assurances that they would do so. We will continue to encourage them to take the necessary steps toward NATO membership in our ministerial and official interactions with BiH. We will also continue to communicate the benefits that NATO membership will bring to all parts of BiH, as we did when a company of Irish Guards deployed to BiH in May for training and public diplomacy activities.

British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many biosecurity policy breaches have occurred in (a) British Antarctic Territory and (b) South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands in each of the last five years.

Mark Simmonds: In the last five years, the British Antarctic Survey has recorded two such incidents in 2010 and three in 2011 within the British Antarctic Territory. Information on possible breaches within other countries' research programmes within the region is not readily available.
	There have been two biosecurity policy breaches on South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands within the last five years, both of which occurred in 2013.

Burma

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage the establishment and maintenance of ceasefires in conflicts between the government of Myanmar and minority ethnic groups in that country.

Hugo Swire: The British Government believes that a sustainable peace settlement in Burma will only be possible through a process of political dialogue. We are funding experts with experience of the peace process in Northern Ireland to support ethnic groups and the Burmese Government in converting the ceasefires with 10 of the 11 ethnic armed groups in Burma into meaningful political dialogue.
	As part of this support, senior Ministers from the Burmese Government visited the UK and Northern Ireland in April; the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my noble Friend, the right hon. Baroness Warsi, met with this group of Ministers to extend our support. We also hosted a visit by representatives of the ethnic groups in May, when the Minister of State, Department for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Mr Duncan), underlined the same messages of support to them.
	The UK is also one of the leading donors to the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative, which provides funding in ethnic areas to engage communities and civil society organisations in the peace process.

Burma

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the government of Myanmar towards the constitutional recognition of equality of all ethnic groups.

Hugo Swire: The British Government is supporting Burma to become a prosperous, more democratic, stable nation, where the human rights of all peoples are respected. We regularly call on Burma to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which commits states to recognise the equal rights of all peoples in their territories. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised this in a meeting with the Burmese Foreign Minister in February. We note the announcement on 20 March that the Burmese Parliament would convene a Committee to examine the 2008 Constitution. We will continue to monitor this process.

Business: Human Rights

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he plans to publish his Department's business and human rights strategy; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish that strategy.

William Hague: I will be launching an action plan on business and human rights in due course. The promotion of business and respect for human rights go hand in hand. The UK will be one of the first countries in the world to set out how we are implementing the UN Guiding Principles.

Electronic Surveillance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many meetings (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department have had with their US counterparts on the PRISM data gathering system since May 2010.

Alistair Burt: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. This includes discussions with allies and liaison agencies.

Electronic Surveillance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government has given the US government authority to allow the US National Security Agency (NSA) to process data acquired by the NSA on UK citizens at the NSA's new Utah Data Center.

Alistair Burt: It is the long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment in detail on matters of intelligence. This includes discussions with allies and liaison agencies.

North America

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposed implementing measure for Articles 7a-e of the Fuel Quality Directive on the UK's trade relations with North America; and what recent discussions he has had with (a) representatives of the European Commission and (b) his EU counterparts on this matter.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), is kept abreast of developments on the proposed implementing measures for the fuel quality directive through regular briefings by officials. The European Commission is currently conducting an impact assessment of a range of options and will be producing a proposal for consideration by the Environment Council. The British Government is seeking a solution that effectively addresses the carbon emissions from all highly polluting crudes.

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office owns no property in Scotland.

Shaker Aamer

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Prime Minister will personally request the release of Shaker Aamer the next time he speaks to President Obama.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government continues to make clear to the US that we want Mr Aamer released and returned to the UK as a matter of urgency. The Prime Minister raised Mr Aamer's case with President Obama on 17 June. My ministerial colleagues and I will continue to make representations to the US Administration.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Economic Growth

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2013, Official Report, columns 879-80W on developing countries: economic growth, which countries received funding from her Department for wealth creation projects in 2012-13; and how much each such country received for such projects in each of the preceding three financial years.

Justine Greening: Figures for bilateral aid spend on wealth creation by country are published in DFID's Annual Report. These figures are published on a fiscal year basis, with figures for the year 2012-13 due to be published shortly. DFID's Annual Reports for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 can be accessed here:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/departmental-report/2010/dfid-in-2009-10-revised-6-sept-2010.pdf
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2011-volume-i
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-2012

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the findings of the recent United Nations report, led by Professor Robert Black, which concluded that malnutrition is estimated to cost the world £2.3 trillion in healthcare and lost productivity.

Lynne Featherstone: A number of recent reports, including Professor Black's, indicate productivity losses and health care costs due to malnutrition, particularly undernutrition, are unacceptably high. On 8 June, the UK hosted the “Nutrition for Growth” event to improve the nutrition of 500 million pregnant women and young children and to reduce stunting by 20 million by 2020.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to tackle maternal under-nutrition alongside child under-nutrition in developing countries.

Justine Greening: DFID is fully committed to achieving Millennium Development Goal 5 for improving maternal health. In 2010, we committed to reach 20 million pregnant women and children under five with nutrition services by 2015. Many of DFID's health programmes work to ensure that women have regular ante-natal check-ups and supplements during pregnancy.
	The high level Nutrition for Growth event which we have just hosted established nutrition as a top development priority through the collective endorsement of a Global Nutrition for Growth Compact. It was endorsed by more than 90 governments, multilateral, companies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and others and commits to ensuring that at least 500 million pregnant women and children under two are reached with effective nutrition.
	At the event, financial and policy commitments were made to accelerate progress on tackling maternal and child under-nutrition. The UK committed an additional £375 million on direct nutrition interventions between now and 2020, with a further £280 million to be provided if matched by others. These investments, which will be subject to rigorous monitoring and accountability measures, will support national nutrition plans and help achieve the MDGs, particularly those related to maternal and child health and hunger.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will estimate the cost of expanding existing nutritional intervention programmes in developing countries.

Justine Greening: The medical journal, The Lancet, published its latest analysis of nutrition on 6 June 2013. It estimates that the incremental cost to scale up 10 nutrition specific interventions to 90% coverage in the 34 highest burden countries is £6.12 billion ($9.6 billion) annually.

Developing Countries: Taxation

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she plans to take to support capacity building for tax revenue authorities in developing countries.

Justine Greening: DFID's work with partner countries on tax includes 48 tax programmes across 20 countries. I recently announced that DFID is establishing and funding a unit within HM Revenue and Customs to provide a team of tax experts dedicated to working in developing countries.

Humanitarian Aid

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to encourage young people to volunteer in the humanitarian aid sector.

Justine Greening: Our International Citizen Service (ICS) programme will see 7,000 young UK volunteers working on development projects in some of the world's poorest countries over the next three years.

St Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many gallons of water have been used in the airport construction project on St Helena (a) per day and (b) since construction began.

Lynne Featherstone: Figures are not available for the amount of water used since construction commenced. The water is sourced from boreholes on Prosperous Bay Plain and at Dry Gut. They are entirely separate to the water systems that supply the rest of the island so St Helena's domestic supply is unaffected by construction activities. The water in each borehole returns to its original level whenever extraction ceases so the impact on the localised water table is negligible.

Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations her Department has made to the Tanzania Revenue Authority regarding the issue of government corruption in Tanzania.

Justine Greening: Under a current programme of financial and technical assistance with the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), support has been provided to the TRA Tax Investigation Department to build capacity in dealing with fraud and evasion. Future planned support is expected to further enhance transparency and accountability across the organisation.

JUSTICE

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice, including the Ministry's headquarters, the National Offender Management Service, HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Office of the Public Guardian and the Legal Aid Agency, does not have any officials currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms.

Children in Care: Death

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 20 May 2013, Official Report, column 582W, on children in care: death, how many such deaths were recorded at coroners inquests as the result of (a) accidents, (b) natural causes, (c) suicide and (d) unlawful killing; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice publishes annual statistics on the work of coroners in England and Wales, including inquest verdicts returned by coroners.
	In 2012 coroners in England and Wales recorded a total of 7,705 accident or misadventure inquest verdicts, 8,849 verdicts of death by natural causes, 3,515 suicide verdicts, and 152 killed unlawfully verdicts but the statistics do not distinguish between the age of deceased.
	However, since 2011 the Ministry of Justice has collected data regarding deaths in custody, which include children in custody and local authority secure children's homes. No deaths were reported to coroners in relation to deaths of young people in custody in local authority secure children's homes in 2011 or 2012.
	Information held by MOJ in relation to coroners is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coroners-statistics

Prison Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many current prison service employees have criminal convictions.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) does not hold a central record of employees of HM Prison Service that have received criminal convictions.
	If serving members of staff receive a criminal conviction, they will be subject to potential disciplinary action. Depending on the nature of the conviction, this could lead to dismissal, including summary dismissal. This would be in addition to any criminal sanctions imposed by the courts.
	Prior to beginning employment with NOMS, applicants must declare criminal convictions and consent to additional background checks where appropriate. Previous criminal convictions are not an automatic disbar to employment with NOMS. Each case is considered on its merits.

Prisoners: Older People

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners of retirement age refuse to work.

Jeremy Wright: The National Offender Management Service does not hold information centrally on the number of prisoners of retirement age who do not work. To obtain the information, each prison would need to examine individual prisoner records and this would be a significant exercise which could only be undertaken at disproportionate cost.

Repossession Orders

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people in each constituent part of the UK had their homes repossessed in each of the last five years.

Helen Grant: The information requested is not available. The Ministry of Justice holds information on the number of repossession actions that are carried out by county court bailiffs. Because a repossession action can pertain to more than one home the exact number of homes repossessed is not available.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much duty has been refunded on unused airline tickets in each year since the introduction of air passenger duty.

Sajid Javid: The Exchequer receives no duty for unused air tickets. air passenger duty (APD) is a tax on aircraft operators based on the number of chargeable passengers on board a flight. Generally, operators pass the cost of their forecast APD liability onto passengers as part of the ticket price of a flight. However, if a passenger does not fly, the operator does not become liable to pay APD for that passenger.
	In such circumstances, it is a commercial decision for the operator whether, having passed on the cost of their APD liability to the passenger, they refund that cost. The Government recommends UK airlines make their terms and conditions of carriage (including their ticket refund policy) clear on their website, so that consumers can make an informed decision on whether to proceed with a booking or choose an alternative carrier.

Big Society Network

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (a) how much funding his Department allocated to and (b) what contracts his Department held with the Big Society Network in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13 and (iv) 2013-14 to date.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury has not allocated any funding nor has it had any contracts with the Big Society Network since 2010.

Business: Loans

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been distributed to businesses through the Funding for Lending scheme in (a) Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council area, (b) Barnsley Central constituency, (c) South Yorkshire and (d) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending Scheme has contributed to a transformation of the bank funding environment and banks are now passing these on through improved credit availability and cheaper credit to the real economy including to businesses.
	As part of the monitoring of the Funding for Lending scheme, the Bank of England publishes the net lending data of individual banks on a quarterly basis. A regional breakdown is unavailable. However the Bank of England will publish net lending figures for 2014 by sector once the extension begins.

Child Benefit

Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to making child benefit claim forms available through registry offices as an alternative to bounty packs.

Sajid Javid: Child benefit claim forms may be obtained from the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) website, the HMRC Child Benefit Helpline or through Bounty packs. As Bounty packs are given out to new mothers shortly after birth HMRC is able to provide 97% of mothers with their child benefit claim forms within days of giving birth.
	HMRC does not currently have any arrangement with Registry Offices for distributing child benefit claim forms. However, any Registry Office, may if it so chooses, download the form from the website and pass it to new mothers.

Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to extend the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters to all the UK's dependent territories.

David Gauke: All the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories with a financial centre have committed to join the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters as rapidly as possible.

Developing Countries: Taxation

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will prioritise the creation of a new global automatic tax information exchange regime that includes developing countries.

David Gauke: The Government is working internationally to develop a single standard in automatic exchange which is open to all countries, including developing countries. We will be working with the OECD to ensure that the relevant systems and processes are as accessible as possible to help enable all countries to implement this new standard. The Government is also working to help build tax capacity in developing countries through the OECD, DFID and HMRC programmes.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

Sajid Javid: For the three years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 the number of staff suspended in HM Treasury are shown as follows.
	
		
			  Number 
			 2010-11 Fewer than 5 
			 2011-12 Fewer than 5 
			 2012-13 Fewer than 5 
		
	
	The total costs incurred to the employer over the period as a result of suspensions was £88,249.

General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications have been received by HM Revenue and Customs for membership of the General Anti-Abuse Rule Advisory Panel; and on what date panel members will be announced.

David Gauke: There were 60 applications for the GAAR Advisory Panel. The recruitment process is led by the Patrick Mears, the chair of the panel, and HMRC aims to announce the final panel members in July 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials of each pay grade in his Department are working on High Speed 2; and what the responsibilities are of each such official.

Danny Alexander: It is not possible to provide precise figures for the number of HM Treasury staff that are involved with the High Speed 2 project. This is because many officials who have an interest in HS2 typically have responsibilities which cover a number of areas, for example across transport, infrastructure, financing, project management, and fiscal considerations.

Income Tax: Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how he will establish the value of the Scottish block grant after the implementation of the Scottish rate of income tax.

Danny Alexander: The Scottish block grant will continue to be determined through the operation of the Barnett formula, but with a new deduction in relation to the Scottish rate of income tax.
	The UK and Scottish Governments have agreed a method for determining the size of this deduction. This will be based on revenues generated by the Scottish rate of income tax during the transition period, and then indexed to growth in the UK non-savings non-dividend income tax base after the transition period has ended.
	Further information is contained in the Government's first annual report on the implementation of the Scotland Act 2012, available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-annual-report-on-the-implementation-of-the-financial-provisions-of-the-scotland-act-2012

Lloyds Banking Group

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the working relationship between Lloyds Banking Group and Deloitte and their respective handling of PPI complaints; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government's shareholding in Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) is managed on a commercial and arm's length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI).
	UKFI's role is to manage the investment and not to manage the bank. LBG's relationship with Deloitte is an operational matter for the bank and should be addressed on a commercial basis.
	The Government is committed to ensuring that consumers and businesses are protected and it is the job of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to ensure that happens in financial services.
	The Government is strongly supportive of all action taken by the FCA to recompense customers and prevent cases of mis-selling in the future.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether a mechanism to prevent people without a credit record in the UK from using the Help to Buy scheme to purchase a home will be in place with effect from the launch of that scheme in 2014.

Sajid Javid: The aim of the Help to Buy package is to increase the supply of high loan to value mortgages to credit worthy borrowers.
	A mortgage eligible for a guarantee under the scheme will need to meet certain minimum requirements in terms of the assessment of the borrower's ability to pay the mortgage.
	As was announced at Budget 2013, the Government will set out eligibility criteria for the mortgage guarantee component of Help to Buy in due course.

NHS: Redundancy Pay

John Woodcock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions he has approved special severance payments for NHS employees since taking office.

Danny Alexander: The Treasury does not hold information on numbers of payments approved in the format requested. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Non-domestic Rates

Ann Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many successful requests for the revaluation of business premises there have been in each region in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: The following table shows, for both the 2005 and 2010 local rating lists, the number of formal challenges against non-domestic properties that resulted in a change to the list entry, in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 financial years. Statistics for earlier years are unavailable.
	
		
			  Financial year 
			 Region 2010-11(1) 2011-12(2) 
			 England and Wales 56,160 50,730 
			 England 52,240 47,630 
			 North East 2,350 2,160 
			 North West 7,620 7,710 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 5,370 5,140 
			 East Midlands 3,650 2,870 
			 West Midlands 4,920 4,560 
			 East 5,380 4,890 
			 London 11,270 7,930 
			 South East 7,300 7,440 
		
	
	
		
			 South West 4,390 4,950 
			 Wales 3,930 3,090 
			 (1) VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Challenges, Tables 4.5 and 8.5: http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/Table4_5.xls http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/Table8_5.xls (2) VOA Official Statistics, Local Rating Lists: Challenges, Tables 5.5 and 10.5: http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/120503_2010_Table5.5.xls http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/_downloads/xls/120503_2005_Table10.5.xls

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury does not own any property in Scotland.

Public Sector Debt

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which measures of public sector debt are used for setting fiscal rules and targets.

Sajid Javid: As set out in the Charter for Budget Responsibility, the Government's fiscal mandate is supplemented by a target for public sector net debt as a percentage of GDP to be falling at a fixed date of 2015-16, ensuring that the public finances are restored to a sustainable path.

Public Sector Debt

John Healey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what responsibilities (a) the Office for Budget Responsibility and (b) the Office for National Statistics have to measure debt in the public sector;
	(2)  what powers (a) the Office for Budget Responsibility and (b) the Office for National Statistics have to determine how debt in the public sector is (i) measured and (ii) accounted for;
	(3)  which body is responsible for deciding how to classify public sector debt in the UK accounts; and what international rules this body must follow in making its classifications.

Sajid Javid: The independent Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for public finance outturn statistics used in the Public Sector Finances (PSF) publication. The ONS has final responsibility for compiling the statistical measures used in the PSF bulletin, for ensuring they conform to statistical standards, and that the content complies with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. The ONS is responsible for the classification of public sector debt in the UK National Accounts. The ONS bases its classification decisions on the legally-binding European System of Accounts 95 (ESA 95) and the Eurostat Manual on Government Deficit and Debt, which are broadly consistent with the System of National Accounts 1993 produced by the United Nations.
	The independent OBR has executive responsibility to examine and report on the sustainability of the public finances, issuing forecasts for public sector debt.

Tax Avoidance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce legislative proposals to allow fines to be levied on those who devise tax avoidance schemes which are subsequently struck down by HM Revenue and Customs as well as those who take advantage of such schemes.

David Gauke: As announced at Budget 2013, we will soon be consulting on a range of new information and penalty powers to tackle high-risk promoters of tax avoidance schemes. We also announced that we will consult on a penalties-based approach to taxpayers who fail to settle with HM Revenue and Customs in circumstances where a tax avoidance scheme has been defeated in another party's litigation. The consultation is due to take place over the summer.

Tax Evasion

Stephen Phillips: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to improve engagement and cooperation between EU member states in tackling tax fraud.

David Gauke: Tackling tax fraud and evasion is hugely important for protecting revenues and for ensuring public confidence in the fairness and effectiveness of our tax systems. The Government is in regular discussions with other member states on this issue and is working closely with the Commission and member states on addressing the priority areas for tackling fraud and evasion at the EU level, for example the rapid adoption of the revised savings directive and on countering VAT fraud. In addition the UK, together with France, Germany, Spain and Italy agreed in April to develop and then pilot multilateral tax information exchange on an automatic basis. This initiative will help embed the new global standard leading to a step change in the fight against tax evasion, something that the UK is also taking forward as part of its G8 presidency. 12 other member states have since joined this initiative together with Mexico and Norway.

Taxation: Courier Services

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the national insurance and tax revenue lost as a result of bogus self-employment contracts in the courier industry in each of the last five financial years.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available because HM Revenue & Customs' data systems do not record this level of detail.

Taxation: Foreign Nationals

David Nuttall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that foreign nationals from other EU countries (a) pay income tax and (b) make insurance contributions on (i) self-employed earnings and (ii) earnings from employment.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for overseeing the tax system and for collecting national insurance contributions. The usual PAYE withholding regulations apply in the same way to EU nationals as they do to everybody else. While there is no special regime for EU nationals, HMRC operates a robust risk-based approach to compliance, tackling a wide range of avoidance and evasion activities from whatever source.

Taxation: Pensioners

Stephen Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many higher-rate tax payers were aged 65 years or older in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Gauke: It is estimated that in the year 2012-13 there were 5.1 million taxpayers aged 65 or older of which 389,000 are liable to income tax at the higher rate or above.
	These estimates are based upon the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.

Taxation: Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the joint project of HM Revenue and Customs and the Developing Countries Capacity Building Unit with the Tanzania Revenue Authority, what representations he has received from UK investors on the current environment for foreign investment in Tanzania.

David Gauke: No representations have been received from UK investors on the current environment for foreign investment in Tanzania, with reference to the joint HM Revenue and Customs and DFID Developing Countries Capacity Building Unit.

Taxation: Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the joint project of HM Revenue and Customs and the Developing Countries Capacity Building Unit with the Tanzania Revenue Authority will address the issue of government corruption in Tanzania.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for International Development have not identified the objectives of the capacity building programme with Tanzania Revenue Authority as yet; therefore I cannot say whether the joint project will address the issue of government corruption in Tanzania at this stage.

Taxation: Tanzania

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contribution the joint project of HM Revenue and Customs and the Developing Countries Capacity Building Unit with the Tanzania Revenue Authority make towards improving the environment for foreign investment in Tanzania.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs and the Department for International Development have not identified the objectives of the capacity building programme with Tanzania Revenue Authority as yet; therefore I cannot say whether the joint project will improve the environment for foreign investment at this stage.

Tobacco: Smuggling

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding has been allocated to the tobacco smuggling strategy of HM Revenue and Customs over the current spending review period.

Sajid Javid: It is not possible to answer the question in the format requested, as HM Revenue and Customs does not allocate funding in advance on the basis of tax regimes.
	Expenditure information for the Tackling Tobacco Smuggling strategy is not recorded separately. However, expenditure on all activity across the tobacco regime is recorded and reported retrospectively and the following information is available in relation to expenditure on the tobacco regime in the first two years of the current spending review period:
	
		
			  Expenditure (£) 
			 2011-12 68,918,655 
			 2012-13 67,641,320

VAT: Fuels

William McCrea: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has accrued to the Exchequer from VAT on car fuel in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: There is no information available on the revenue raised from VAT on car fuel. It is not possible to identify the amount of VAT receipts in relation to specific products.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Mark Hoban: There are no officials within DWP (including Child Maintenance Group who joined the Department in August 2012) seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst and Young, and KPMG.

Carer’s Allowance

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of carer's allowance are caring for a disabled relative who suffered injuries whilst serving in the armed forces in the Afghanistan or Iraq wars.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available.

Children: Maintenance

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much is owed to parents in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England in Child Support Agency claims.

Steve Webb: The following table shows, as of March 2013, the amount of debt due to parents with care in Barnsley Central, South Yorkshire and England.
	
		
			  Total debt owed to Secretary of State or parent or person with care (£) Of which: owed to parent or person with care (£) 
			 Barnsley Central 7,103,000 4,246,000 
			 South Yorkshire 93,545,000 56,090,000 
			 England 3,380,307,000 2,129,688,000 
			 Notes: 1. South Yorkshire has been calculated by adding up the totals for Barnsley, Doncaster, Sheffield and Rotherham local authorities. 2. England has been calculated by adding up the totals for each parliamentary constituency in England. 3. Figures sourced from agency's internal debt book, The agency debt book over reports debt by approximately 4%. 4. Arrears amounts are allocated to a parliamentary constituency or local authority by matching the parent with care's residential postcode to the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. 5. Figures rounded to nearest £1,000. 6. Figures exclude cases managed off system.

Housing Benefit: Night Shelters

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many night shelters have met the qualification criteria for housing benefit payments in each year since 2010;
	(2)  how much was paid in housing benefit in respect of a stay at a night shelter in each year since 2010; and how much was spent in this fashion as a proportion of total spending on housing benefit in each such year.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available. Housing benefit regulations do not refer to homeless hostels or shelters specifically.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the volume of former social housing currently in the private rented sector and occupied by tenants in receipt of housing benefit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Midlothian local authority area; and how much is paid in housing benefit to such tenants.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
	Note
	Statistics on housing benefit volumes and expenditure are obtained from the Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE) dataset, a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. This data source does not provide information on former ownership status of dwellings occupied by housing benefit claimants.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much (a) housing benefit and (b) local housing allowance has been paid to tenants in the private rented sector in Midlothian constituency in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: Information for housing benefit expenditure in Midlothian local authority area is published at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-by-local-authority
	Tables: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit expenditure by local authority from 1996/97 to 2011/12.
	Midlothian parliamentary constituency currently has the same boundaries as the local authority area. However, constituency boundaries changed in 2005, so local authority figures prior to 2005-06 will not reflect expenditure within the previous boundaries of the constituency. Information for the pre-2005 parliamentary constituency is not available.
	Note
	Information on housing benefit expenditure by parliamentary constituency is not currently available, but in this instance the boundaries of the parliamentary constituency and local authority coincide, so published figures are available for part of the period.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will be affected by his announcement on 12 March 2013 clarifying the size criteria rules for armed forces' personnel.

Steve Webb: The information requested is not available.
	The Department is unable to make an estimate from survey data as the sample size for members of the armed forces affected by the social sector under-occupancy charge is small. As a result estimates would be subject to a high degree of sampling error.

Means-tested Benefits

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the sums allocated to means tested benefit and allowances which have not been claimed in each year since 2010.

Mark Hoban: The most recent estimates available, of income-related benefit take-up, cover the period 2009-10. The Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-up report covers Great Britain for the financial year 2009-10 and provides caseload and expenditure estimates of take-up for income support and employment and support allowance (income-related), pension credit, housing benefit (including local housing allowance), council tax benefit and jobseeker's allowance (income-based). The figures are available online and can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb
	It is planned that the next report will publish data for the years 2010-11 and 2011-12 and is expected to be released around spring 2014.

Universal Credit

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of covering 85 per cent of childcare costs for all families in receipt of universal credit.

Esther McVey: The Government wants to encourage people to work and where possible to increase their hours and recognise that those working the longest hours are likely to face the greatest child care costs. The Government will spend an additional £200 million on child care support through universal credit, which is equivalent to providing support for 85% of child care costs for families qualifying for the universal credit child care element where the lone parent or both earners in a couple pay income tax. This will be introduced from April 2016.
	The details of how to provide this support will be determined as part of a wider consultation on the Tax-free-Childcare scheme for those families outside universal credit, to ensure the two schemes operate effectively together. This will be published in due course.
	Covering 85% of child care costs for all families in receipt of universal credit is estimated to cost around a further £200 million (above the additional £200 million already announced).
	All figures refer to universal credit steady-state when migration has been completed and universal credit has been fully rolled out.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many meetings he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Health and (b) the Secretary of State for Education on the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit.

Mark Hoban: The Secretary of State has met and discussed the treatment of passported benefits under universal credit with Cabinet colleagues. Further meetings have taken place at ministerial level between Ministers in this Department and their counterparts in Department of Health and Department for Education.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the effect of increasing the higher and lower rate disabled child elements of universal credit by (a) five per cent, (b) 10 per cent and (c) 15 per cent on the proportion of (i) children and (ii) working age adults living in households of below 60 per cent of median income.

Mark Hoban: The aim of universal credit is to encourage work. Figures in the most recent Households Below Average Income series show that children in workless families are at greater risk of being in poverty than those in working families.
	Increasing the lower and higher disabled child elements by: (a) 5%; (b) 10%; or (c) 15% would have a zero percentage point impact on both (i) the proportion of children and (ii) the proportion of working age adults living in households under 60% of median income.
	Note that the results have been derived using the Family Resources Survey. Due to sample size issues, results are being rounded to the nearest percentage point.
	These figures do not take account of any anticipated increase in employment as a result of universal credit. It is designed to encourage work, which is the best route out of poverty for most people.
	This analysis is consistent with the impact assessment published in December 2012.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress he has made in ensuring that universal credit is available to individuals staying in supported accommodation classified as exempt; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Universal credit will be paid to all claimants who meet the conditions of entitlement. Ministers announced in September 2012 that in the short-term help with housing costs for those in exempt accommodation will be provided outside universal credit, broadly as now through local authorities using existing DWP legislation. Regulations to do so will be brought forward in due course.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Freedom of Information requests on universal credit his Department has responded to since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: We have responded to 102 Freedom of Information requests about universal credit since May 2010.

EDUCATION

Child Minding

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to consult and engage with child care associations regarding the introduction of childminder agencies;
	(2)  whether his Department has held discussions with the UK Childminding Association on the introduction of childminder agencies.

Elizabeth Truss: Through membership of the Department's childminder agencies Task and Finish group, the following national child care associations are engaged in the introduction of childminder agencies: 4Children, the Family and Childcare Trust, the National Day Nurseries Association, the National Children's Bureau, the Pre-school Learning Alliance, the Independent Childminders Social Enterprise and the Association of Nanny Agencies.
	We have also written to over 60 organisations, including child care associations, inviting them to participate in an imminent trial. Following this, we intend to consult on the key requirements to be placed on childminder agencies through regulation.
	No discussion with the UK Childminding Association has yet taken place, although Department officials remain ready to meet them when convenient.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he has (a) conducted within his Department, (b) asked other Departments to conduct and (c) commissioned independent external sources to conduct an assessment of possible (i) reductions in childcare costs and (ii) increases in childcare staff salaries resulting from increasing staff-to-child ratios in childcare settings.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has conducted a review of international evidence. This shows that countries with higher staff:child ratios also have higher staff salaries and lower costs to parents. This review will be published in due course, but many of its findings were published in ‘More great childcare’(1).
	The Department has also conducted an assessment of possible reductions in child care costs and increases in child care staff salaries resulting from increasing staff:child ratios in childcare settings. This report is available on the gov.uk website(2).
	(1)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/more-great-childcare-raising-quality-and-giving-parents-more-choice
	(2)https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/request-for-costs-and-benefits-of-the-childcare-ratios-proposed-in-more-great-childcare

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 382W, on children: day care, how many responses he received from each category of respondent defined in the consultation document.

Elizabeth Truss: We will publish a summary report of the responses to the consultation in due course. This will include a breakdown of the number of respondents by background.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 16 May 2013, Official Report, column 382W, on children: day care, which (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has approached with a view to establishing pilot schemes for increasing child-to-staff ratios in childcare settings.

Elizabeth Truss: We have spoken to a number of early years providers, child care organisations and schools about how to improve the quality of early years provision.
	In ‘More great childcare’, the Government announced its plans to improve the quality of child care, including proposals to increase staff:child ratios for all nurseries with well-qualified staff from this September. We consulted on the qualification requirements to unlock these higher ratios.
	However, as I explained to the House on 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 224, the Government will not be proceeding with changes to staff:child ratios.

Disciplinary Proceedings

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many staff were suspended from his Department and its associated public bodies on full pay in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and what costs were incurred as a result of such suspensions.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the number of staff suspended from the Department on full pay in 2011-12 and 2012-13 is withheld on confidentiality grounds as fewer than five members of staff were suspended in each year.
	The Department does not hold this information for 2010-11.
	The Department does not hold the requested information about its non-departmental public bodies.

History: Curriculum

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make it his policy that the war of 1812-14 between British North America (Canada) and the United States is included in the history curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: We believe that all pupils should be taught about the key events, processes and personalities in British history, and that that teaching should include the British Empire. We are currently considering responses to the public consultation on our proposals for the new history curriculum published earlier this year, and will make further announcements in due course. It is important to note however that, even if the war of 1812 is not explicitly mentioned in the national curriculum, schools are free to teach it at their discretion.

Office for Standards in Education

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether HM Chief Inspector of Schools is able to express publicly opinions on Government policy and policy proposals in an official capacity.

David Laws: Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools, children's services and skills is responsible for ensuring that Ofsted promotes improvement in the quality of the services that it regulates and inspects. Ofsted's status, as a non-ministerial Government Department, is intended to give the chief inspector independence and flexibility to comment on the quality and provision of services as he sees fit.

Pre-school Education

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who will be eligible for free nursery care in (a) England, (b) Cumbria and (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who are currently getting free nursery care in (a) England, (b) Cumbria and (c) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.

Elizabeth Truss: All three and four-year-olds are eligible to access 570 hours a year of early education funded by the Government. Government-funded early education is being extended so that 130,000 two-year-olds from lower income families in England will be able to access a funded place from September 2013, increasing to 260,000 from September 2014.
	Last year we consulted on the proposed eligibility criteria from September, and published estimated numbers of two-year-olds who would be eligible from then. Based on the criteria we consulted on, we estimated that 2,500 two-year-olds in Cumbria were likely to be eligible from September 2014(1). The final eligibility criteria from September 2014 will be confirmed shortly. We have made no estimate of numbers of children likely to be eligible in each individual constituency.
	The following table shows the number of three and four-year-olds benefitting from funded early education in England, Cumbria and the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency as of January 2012.
	
		
			 Number of three and four-year-olds benefitting from funded early education-January 2012(1) 
			  Number 
			 Westmorland and Lonsdale 1,580 
			 Cumbria 10,450 
			 England 1,264,420 
			 (1)Note: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/provision-for-children-under-5-years-of-age-in-england-january-2012 
		
	
	Local authorities estimate that they were delivering just over 55,000 early learning places for two-year-olds across England in April 2013. Cumbria local authority estimates that as of April 2013 they were delivering 568 early learning places for two-year-olds and are on track to deliver the places they need in September 2013.
	(1)Note:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/delivery/free%20entitlement%20to%20early%20education/b0070114/eefortwoyearolds

Primary Education: Teachers

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of primary school teachers were female in each Government office region in the last year for which data are available.

David Laws: The following table shows the percentage of full-time equivalent teachers in publicly funded nursery and primary schools in each region of England in November 2011 who were female. National level data from the 2012 School Workforce Census were published on 30 April 2013. Regional level data will be published on 17 July 2013.
	
		
			 Percentage of full-time equivalent female teachers in publicly funded nursery and primary schools by region. November 2011. England 
			 Region Percentage 
			 North East 87 
			 North West 86 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 86 
			 East Midlands 86 
			 West Midlands 86 
			 East of England 87 
			 Inner London 83 
			 Outer London 87 
			 South East 87 
			 South West 83 
			 England 86 
			 Source: School Workforce Census, November 2011

Pupil Exclusions: Barrow in Furness

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils have been excluded from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Barrow and Furness constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Elizabeth Truss: Information on the permanent exclusions and number of pupils with one or more fixed period exclusions in Barrow and Furness constituency, Cumbria local authority and England is shown in the following tables.
	Information has been provided for the academic years 2007/08 to 2010/11. To provide data for further years would incur disproportionate cost.
	The most recent available data on exclusions was published in the “Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools in England 2010/11” Statistical First Release on 25 July 2012.(1)
	Information for 2011/12 will be published in July 2013.
	(1)( )https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/permanent-and -fixed-period-exclusions-from-schools-in-england-academic-year-2010-to-2011
	
		
			 State-funded primary and state-funded secondary schools(1, 2, )3 number of permanent exclusions and number of pupils with one or more fixed period exclusion(4) 2007/08 to 2010/11(5)—England, Cumbria local authority and Barrow and Furness constituency 
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2007/08 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) 
			 England(8) 960 0.02 7,000 0.21 
			 Cumbria local authority (10)— (10)— 33 0.10 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 0 0.00 8 0.14 
		
	
	
		
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2008/09(6) 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) 
			 England(8) 720 0.02 5,700 0.17 
			 Cumbria local authority 0 0.00 14 0.04 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 0 0.00 (10)— (10)— 
		
	
	
		
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2009/10(6) 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) 
			 England(8) 620 0.02 5,020 0.15 
			 Cumbria local authority 0 0.00 24 0.07 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 0 0.00 10 0.18 
		
	
	
		
			 Permanent exclusions 
			  2010/11 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1, 3) 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(7) 
			 England(8) 610 0.01 4,370 0.13 
			 Cumbria local authority (10)— (10)— 16 0.05 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 0 0.00 8 0.15 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2007/08 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) 
			 England(8) 22,460 0.55 176,160 5.36 
			 Cumbria local authority 135 0.35 1,768 5.09 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 16 0.22 327 5.61 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2008/09(6) 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) 
			 England(8) 20,640 0.51 167,910 5.13 
			 Cumbria local authority 93 0.25 1,758 5.16 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 9 0.13 271 4.85 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2009/10(6) 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) 
			 England(8) 19,400 0.47 154,470 4.75 
			 Cumbria local authority 84 0.22 1,811 5.39 
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 6 0.08 586 10.83 
		
	
	
		
			 Fixed period exclusions 
			  2010/11 
			  State-funded primary(1, 2) State-funded secondary(1,2) 
			  Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) Number of pupils with 1 or more episodes of fixed period exclusion Percentage of the school population(9) 
			 England(8) 19,730 0.48 148,900 4.60 
			 Cumbria local authority 104 0.28 1,714 5.20 
		
	
	
		
			 Burrow and Furness constituency 12 0.17 532 10.05 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies. (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). (4) Pupils may be counted more than once if they moved schools during the year, or are registered at more than one school. (5) Figures relating to permanent exclusions for the years 2007/08 to 2009/10 are estimates based on incomplete pupil-level data. (6 )Exclusions data is collected retrospectively so, for example, if a school closes at the end of the school year, any exclusions in spring and summer term are not collected. Three maintained secondary schools in Barrow and Furness constituency closed at the end of summer 2009, leading to an undercount in exclusions in autumn term 2008, no permanent exclusions were recorded. (7) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. (8) National figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. (8) The number of pupils who received a fixed period exclusion expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils (excluding dually registered pupils) as at January each year. (10) Less than five, or a percentage based on less than five. Source: School Census

Schools

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which schools Ministers in his Department have visited since May 2010.

Elizabeth Truss: Information about schools visited by all Ministers since May 2010 is not held centrally and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	A list of ministerial visits made to schools by the Secretary of State by year is as follows. This does not include political or constituency visits.
	10 May 2010 to 31 December 2010
	Lampton School, Hounslow
	Cuckoo Hall Primary School, Edmonton, London
	Colmers School, Rednal, Birmingham
	Notre Dame High School, Sheffield
	St Michael's Primary School, Dorset
	Edgware Jewish Primary School, Middlesex
	Elmridge Primary School, Cheshire
	The Coppice and Langley Primary School, Sutton Coldfield
	Woodside High School, London
	Stanley School of Technology, County Durham
	Consett Community Sports College, County Durham
	The Duchess’s Community High School, Northumberland
	City of London Academy, Southwark, London
	Westminster Academy, London
	Globe Academy, London
	Cuckoo Hall Academy, Edmonton
	Mossbourne Community Academy School, London
	Harris Boys Academy, London
	Chelsea Academy, London
	Durand Academy, London.
	1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011
	Berrymede Junior School, London
	Twyford Church of England High School, London
	Redcar Community College, Cleveland
	Ian Ramsey C of E School, Cleveland
	Corpus Christi RC Primary School, London
	Lexden Primary School, Essex
	Altrincham Girls Grammar school, Cheshire
	St Nicholas School, Beverley
	Swinemoor School, Beverley
	Goole High School, Goole
	Ashlands Primary School, West Yorkshire
	Ilkley Grammar School, West Yorkshire
	Bingley Grammar School, West Yorkshire
	Merlin Primary School, Bromley
	Redruth School, Cornwall
	Hayle School, Cornwall
	Curnow Special School, Redruth
	Chapel Road School, Norfolk
	Methwold High School, Norfolk
	Sprites Primary School, Suffolk
	Chantry High School, Suffolk
	Kingsford Community School, London
	Royal Ballet School, London
	Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy, Edmonton
	The Free School Norwich, Norwich
	Haberdashers Knights Aske’s Academy, Kent
	King Solomon Academy, London
	Gateway Academy, Essex
	Chellaston Academy, Derby
	Goole College, Goole
	Pimlico Academy, London
	Trevithick Primary School, Cornwall
	Camborne Academy, Cornwall
	Pool School, Cornwall
	Durand Academy, London
	The Thetford Academy, Thetford
	King Solomon Academy, London
	The Nottingham Academy, Nottingham
	Harris Peckham Primary Academy, Peckham
	St Marylebone C of E School, London
	Denbigh High School, Luton
	Barnfield Studio School, Luton
	Barnfield West Academy, Luton.
	1 January 2012 to December 2012
	Old Ford Primary School, London
	JCOSS, New Barnet
	Woodberry Down Community Primary School, London
	Yesodey Hatorah Senior Girls School, London
	St John and St James C of E Primary School, London
	Thomas Jones Primary School, London
	Wetherby Pre-prep school, London
	West London Free School, Hammersmith
	Perry Beeches Free School, Birmingham
	Haberdashers' Aske's Hatcham College, London
	Wellsway School, Bristol
	Westminster Academy, London
	Ninestiles School, West Midlands
	Durand Academy, Stockwell
	Yavneh College, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire
	Burlington Danes Academy, London
	Westminster School, London
	Guru Nanak Sikh Academy, Middlesex
	St Paulinus Primary School, Crayford
	Erith Secondary School, Kent
	Oasis Academy, Bristol
	The King David High School, Crumpsall, Manchester
	Hope Academy, Merseyside
	Bexhill Academy, East Sussex
	The Hastings Academy, East Sussex.
	January 2013 to 13 June 2013
	Coombe Girls School, Surrey
	Woodpecker Hall Primary Academy, Edmonton, London
	Castle Community College, Deal, Kent
	Cliftonville Primary, Margate, Kent
	Horsforth Academy, Leeds
	Conyers Academy, Cleveland
	Krishna Avanti Hindu Free School, Leicester
	Paddington Academy, London
	Nunthorpe Academy, Middlesbrough
	Ian Ramsey School, Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland
	Carlton Hill Primary School, East Sussex
	Birches Head High School, Stoke-on-Trent
	Endon High School, Stoke-on-Trent
	Westwood College, Staffordshire
	Derby Pride Academy, Derby
	Wyndham Primary Academy, Derby
	George Spencer Academy, Nottingham
	Marriotts School, Hertfordshire
	Lonsdale Special School, Hertfordshire
	Buckingham School, Buckingham
	Royal Latin School, Buckingham.

Secondary Education

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students there are in secondary schools.

David Laws: At January 2012 there were 3,234,875 pupils(1) in state-funded secondary schools(2) in England. This information is from table 2b of the publication “Schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2012” available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
	Information for January 2013 will be published on Thursday 20 June 2013 and will be available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education/series/statistics-school-and-pupil-numbers
	(1) Headcount of pupils with sole or dual main registrations, rounded to the nearest five pupils.
	(2) Includes city technology colleges and all secondary academies including free schools and includes middle schools as deemed.

HEALTH

Accountancy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials of his Department are currently seconded to any of the four largest accountancy firms; and what the (a) job title and (b) pay grade is of any such secondee.

Daniel Poulter: No officials from the Department are currently seconded to the four largest accountancy firms.

Cancer

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's Report, Direct Access to Diagnostic Tests for Cancer, Best Practice Referral Pathways for General Practitioners, what steps his Department is taking to monitor access to the four key cancer diagnostic tests; and how many general practitioners have applied such tests in the last 12 months.

Anna Soubry: Data are collected on the total number of diagnostic tests but not on the number of general practitioners (GPs) requesting such tests.
	The Department monitors access to the four key cancer diagnostic tests through the Diagnostic Imaging Dataset (DID) Statistics, which are available at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/diagnostic-imaging-dataset/
	These statistics contain monthly data on diagnostic imaging tests on NHS patients in England at provider level. It includes estimates of overall GP usage of direct access to chest x-ray, non-obstetric ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging brain scans which are three of the key diagnostic tests outlined in ‘Improving Outcomes: a strategy for cancer’. The DID publication also includes estimates for kidney or bladder ultrasound and chest and/or abdomen computerised tomography, which can also be used to diagnose cancer.

Cancer: Drugs

Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people served by each strategic health authority who have received treatment as a consequence of the introduction of the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Norman Lamb: The information requested for the period October 2010 to end March 2013 is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Strategic health authority Number of patients funded in 2010-11 Number of patients funded in 2011-12 Number of patients funded in 2012-13 Total number of . patients funded since October 2010(1) 
			 North East 420 696 526 1,642 
			 North West 266 1,044 1,959 3,269 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 178 809 1,093 2,080 
			 East Midlands 178 871 767 1,816 
			 West Midlands 292 1,658 1,534 3,484 
			 East of England 246 1,486 1,683 3,415 
			 London 443 1,364 1,883 3,690 
			 South East Coast 306 1,241 1,426 2,973 
			 South Central 290 1,170 2,288 3,748 
			 South West 161 1,459 2,297 3,917 
			 Total 2,780 11,798 15,456 30,034 
			 (1) Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Source: Information provided to the Department by strategic health authorities.

City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust took voluntary redundancy in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	We have written to John Anderson, Chair of the City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the hon. Member's inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Deep Vein Thrombosis: Children

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider adopting the Royal Blackburn Hospital's protocol on dealing with children with deep vein thrombosis as best practise in the NHS.

Anna Soubry: Responsibility for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) lies with NHS England.
	DVT is extremely rare in children. The Department is aware of an existing national guideline on investigation, management and prevention of venous thrombosis in children produced by the British Committee for Standards in Haematology. This is an area which would benefit from further study and sharing of experience and exemplar practice.
	The Royal Blackburn hospital's protocol on dealing with children with DVT has been brought to the attention of those responsible for delivery of the National Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Programme. It is the responsibility of NHS England to make decisions on whether to adopt the Royal Blackburn hospital's protocol on dealing with children with DVT.

Diabetes

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that NHS health checks will be carried out in order to identify people with and at risk of diabetes.

Anna Soubry: The NHS Health Check will contribute to preventing and detecting diabetes at an earlier stage. The programme has the potential to detect at least 20,000 cases of diabetes or kidney disease earlier, allowing individuals to be better managed and improve quality of life. It could also prevent over 4,000 people a year from developing diabetes.
	From April 2013, local authorities are now mandated to provide the NHS Health Check service to all of their eligible population over five years. They are also required to demonstrate year-on-year increased uptake of the check. Public Health England is leading an implementation review and action plan of the NHS Health Check programme and working with multiple partners, including the Local Government Association, NHS England and local authorities to implement action that will increase accessibility, quality and value for money.

Diabetes

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if his Department will take steps in order to ensure additional funding will be allocated for diabetes management in the future;
	(2)  how many patients with diabetes receive all nine of the annual checks recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to assist with the management of their condition.

Anna Soubry: The Government has set clear objectives for the national health service in delivering improved outcomes in diabetes. This includes increasing universal coverage of the nine basic checks to help monitor the condition of people with diabetes to 80% by 2018 (from 49% in 2010).
	The National Diabetes Audit measures the percentage of diabetes patients who receive all nine checks, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. The 2010-11 Audit, published in September 2012, found that 54.3% of people with diabetes had records showing all nine checks had been completed between January 2010 and March 2011, up by almost 3% from 2009-10.
	Revenue allocations are currently made to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) by NHS England on the basis of a weighted capitation formula, used to determine CCGs' target share of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. Funding for specific services, such as diabetes, is not identified at CCG-level. It is for CCGs to decide how to use their funding to commission services to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.

Heart Diseases: Children

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 159W, on heart diseases: children, if he will collect and collate data in the form as requested for the three years 2009-10 to 2011-12.

Anna Soubry: There are no plans to collect this information centrally.
	With reference to the answer of 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 159W, the absolute mortality figures are available from the National Institute for Cardiothoracic Outcomes Research website under ‘Centre activity’(1) and the “Partial Risk Adjustment in Surgery” analysis from the NHS England website, under April publications(2).
	Notes:
	(1)https://nicor4.nicor.org.uk/CHD/an_paeds.nsf/WSurnmary Years?openview&RestrictToCategory=2011&start=1&count=500
	(2) www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/finl-rep-mort-paed-card-surg-2009-12.pdf

Hospital Beds: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many black alerts have been declared at each hospital in the North West in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	While many national health service trusts and NHS foundation trusts operate alert systems for bed occupancy levels, there is no single alert system across the NHS.

Hospitals: Admissions

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records exist to monitor the number of occasions where the maximum numbers of patients per nurse are exceeded on a general adult ward in each of the last 12 months.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not mandate nurse to patient ratios, therefore there is no central monitoring of this kind by the Department.
	Local health care organisations, with their knowledge of the patients they serve, are best placed to plan and employ a work force appropriate to the needs of their patients, based on clinical need and sound evidence. Where changes are planned to the size and shape of the work force, health care organisations must provide assurance that the safety and quality of patient care is maintained or improved. The process should include clinical involvement leadership and sign off.
	Commissioners of services will want to know that their work force is fit to support the quality of care they want for patients and we are expecting boards who provide services to publish their staffing numbers for the first time this year.
	The NHS Mandate makes it clear that quality of care is as important as quality of treatment. Nursing leaders must ensure that their teams are focused on delivering person-centred, intelligent and compassionate care where the patient's fundamental requirements for daily living have the priority they deserve.

Hospitals: Dorset

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on how much has been spent on legal advice by parties involved in the proposed merger between Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals and Poole Hospital foundation trusts.

Anna Soubry: The information is not held by the Department.
	This is a matter for the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
	We have written to the trusts' chairs, Jane Stichbury and Angela Schofield, informing them of the hon. Member's inquiry. They will reply shortly and copies of the letters will be placed in the Library.

Hospitals: Food

Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average daily cost (a) of breakfast, (b) of lunch, (c) of dinner and (d) in total is for each patient in the NHS;
	(2)  what the average cost was of each individual Christmas Day meal for patients in the NHS; and how much was spent in this fashion in 2012.

Daniel Poulter: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is provided as follows.
	The Department collects data from national health service trusts for the average total daily cost for the provision of all meals and beverages fed to one patient per day. This cost relates to all meals and beverages provided to a patient in a day. Data are not collected on the separate cost of breakfast, lunch and dinner. The cost is inclusive of all pay and non-pay costs, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance. For 2011-12, the national average of these data was £8.77.
	Costs for specific days, including Christmas day, are not collected.
	This information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Hospitals: Mergers

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals which are considering mergers have had to consult lawyers specialising in competition law.

Anna Soubry: The information is not held by the Department. This is a matter for the NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts concerned.

NHS: Conditions of Employment

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in implementing the recommendation of the Boorman Review into health and wellbeing, published in November 2009, in respect of all NHS providers developing a strategy to improve staff health and wellbeing; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: Developing health and well-being strategies for their staff is a matter for individual national health service organisations as employers.
	The Department has commissioned NHS Employers to support individual NHS organisations in developing their overall approach based on five high impact changes including developing local evidence-based improvement plans.

NHS: Management Consultants

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the amount spent on external consultants by each NHS hospital trust in the north of England in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

Daniel Poulter: Departmental spending on external consultants by each of the north of England national health service hospital trusts for financial years 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 is contained in the following tables.
	
		
			 Consultancy spend by NHS trusts in Northern England 
			 Trust name 2009-10 (£000) 
			 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 393 
			 Airedale NHS Trust 245 
			 Bradford District Care NHS Trust 238 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 308 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 629 
			 Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 469 
			 Humber NHS Foundation Trust 189 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 1,306 
			 Liverpool Heart And Chest NHS Foundation Trust 147 
			 Manchester Mental Health And Social Care NHS Trust 793 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 682 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1,468 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust 944 
			 North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust 784 
			 North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 522 
			 Northumberland, Tyne And Wear NHS Foundation Trust 436 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 578 
			 Royal Liverpool Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust 1,592 
			 Scarborough And North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 501 
			 South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 10 
			 South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 14 
			 Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 44 
			 St Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 1 
			 The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust 0 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 679 
			 University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust 148 
			 Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1,290 
		
	
	
		
			 Trust name 2010-11 (£000) 
			 Airedale NHS Trust 13 
			 Ashton Leigh and Wigan Community Healthcare NHS Trust 186 
			 Bradford District Care NHS Trust 229 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 503 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 331 
			 Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 195 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 2,502 
			 Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust 349 
			 Manchester Mental Health And Social Care NHS Trust 879 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 542 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 1,389 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust 799 
			 North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust 656 
			 North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 558 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 1,659 
			 Royal Liverpool Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust 1,217 
			 Scarborough And North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 516 
			 Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 380 
			 St Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 71 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 887 
			 University Hospitals Of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust 82 
			 Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 722 
		
	
	
		
			 Trust name 2011-12 (£000) 
			 Ashton Leigh and Wigan Community Healthcare NHS Trust 1,327 
			 Bradford District Care NHS Trust 120 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 668 
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 270 
			 Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 405 
			 Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust 2,559 
			 Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust 419 
			 Manchester Mental Health And Social Care NHS Trust 581 
			 Mersey Care NHS Trust 1,085 
			 Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust 3,277 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust 1,291 
			 North East Ambulance Service NHS Trust 561 
			 North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust 982 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 2,793 
			 Royal Liverpool Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust 2,591 
			 Scarborough And North East Yorkshire NHS Trust 214 
			 Southport And Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 176 
			 St Helens And Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 140 
		
	
	
		
			 The Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust 156 
			 The Wirral Community NHS Trust 418 
			 Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust 1,338 
			 Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust 1,113 
		
	
	The data are taken from the audited summarisation schedules of NHS trusts for 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12 which are used to prepare the NHS elements of the Department's annual report and accounts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided is only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust.
	The Department does not collect data on external consultants from NHS foundation trusts; this is available from Monitor.

Nurses

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many locum nurses were used by the NHS in England in each year since 2010; and how many times each such nurse was used in each such year.

Daniel Poulter: The numbers of locum or bank nurses used are no longer collected centrally by the Department.
	The numbers of qualified full-time equivalent bank staff in England are available up until 2010. The total qualified bank nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in England as at 30 September for the last three years that are available are:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2008 15,493 
			 2009 15,538 
			 2010 13,051

Physiotherapy

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the recommendations made by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in its report entitled Fit enough for patients? An audit of workplace health and wellbeing services for NHS staff published in March 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Daniel Poulter: The Department welcomed the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy's (CSP) report, ‘Fit enough for patients? An audit of workplace health and wellbeing services for NHS staff’.
	The Department noted the reports recommendations and its assessment is that the national health service should continue to implement the five high impact changes developed following the 2009 review, ‘NHS Health and Wellbeing’, which the Department commissioned from occupational health specialist Dr Steve Boorman CBE. CSP's ‘Fit enough for patients?’ report is their assessment of the progress being made by the NHS in implementing the Boorman recommendations.

Primary Care Trusts

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding was returned to the Government by each primary care trust in England before their dissolution;
	(2)  on what date each Merseyside primary care trust returned funding to his Department before its dissolution.

Daniel Poulter: The Department allows for primary care trust (PCT) surpluses to be carried forward into the next financial year and as such the surpluses shown in this table are cumulative, built up over a number of years.
	Carrying a surplus provides the national health service with flexibility to respond to unexpected cost pressures. Plans assume a steady use of the underspend over a number of years, funded from the wider Department budget.
	A surplus in 2012-13 would not be lost to the NHS, and would be made available to NHS England for high quality sustainable health services. As for other Government Departments, departmental underspends are returned to Her Majesty's Treasury to help in wider fiscal deficit reduction.
	The latest published forecast outturns for PCTs in England are shown in the following table. The final position is not yet established.
	
		
			 PCT name Q3 forecast surplus (at quarter 3) (£000) 
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT 2,807 
			 Barking and Dagenham PCT 4,405 
			 Barnet PCT 0 
			 Barnsley PCT 3,500 
			 Bassetlaw PCT 1,700 
			 Bath and North East Somerset PCT 2,763 
			 Bedfordshire PCT 500 
			 Berkshire East PCT 5,900 
			 Berkshire West PCT 6,471 
			 Bexley NHS Care Trust PCT 3,508 
			 Birmingham East and North PCT 2,691 
			 Blackburn with Darwen Teaching Care Trust Plus PCT 1,413 
			 Blackpool PCT 1,441 
			 Bolton PCT 1,000 
			 Bournemouth and Poole Teaching PCT 5,897 
			 Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT 7,500 
			 Brent Teaching PCT 23,250 
			 Brighton and Hove City Teaching PCT 750 
			 Bristol PCT 3,955 
			 Bromley PCT 5,020 
			 Buckinghamshire PCT 4,214 
			 Bury PCT 750 
			 Calderdale PCT 3,600 
			 Cambridgeshire PCT 0 
			 Camden PCT 23,795 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 3,547 
			 Central Lancashire PCT 3,762 
			 City and Hackney Teaching PCT 6,464 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly PCT 8,822 
			 County Durham PCT 1,000 
			 Coventry Teaching PCT 5,800 
		
	
	
		
			 Croydon PCT 0 
			 Cumbria Teaching PCT 8,400 
			 Darlington PCT 300 
			 Derby City PCT 4,487 
			 Derbyshire County PCT 12,000 
			 Devon PCT 500 
			 Doncaster PCT 2,250 
			 Dorset PCT 6,717 
			 Dudley PCT 7,792 
			 Ealing PCT 0 
			 East Lancashire Teaching PCT 3,424 
			 East Riding Of Yorkshire PCT 5,200 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 750 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 12,000 
			 Enfield PCT 0 
			 Gateshead PCT 50 
			 Gloucestershire PCT 8,946 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 3,000 
			 Greenwich Teaching PCT 4,710 
			 Halton and St Helens PCT 2,689 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 7,084 
			 Hampshire PCT 6,456 
			 Haringey Teaching PCT 500 
			 Harrow PCT 0 
			 Hartlepool PCT 100 
			 Hastings and Rother PCT 750 
			 Havering PCT 4,095 
			 Heart of Birmingham Teaching PCT 2,330 
			 Herefordshire PCT 254 
			 Hertfordshire PCT 6,200 
			 Heywood; Middleton and Rochdale PCT 1,950 
			 Hillingdon PCT 0 
			 Hounslow PCT 9 
			 Hull Teaching PCT 19,400 
			 Isle of Wight NHS PCT 2,573 
			 Islington PCT 9,084 
			 Kensington and Chelsea PCT 12,524 
			 Kingston PCT 3,959 
			 Kirklees PCT 6,600 
			 Knowsley PCT 1,650 
			 Lambeth PCT 7,000 
			 Leeds PCT 23,200 
			 Leicester City PCT 13,352 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 9,223 
			 Lewisham PCT 5,520 
			 Lincolnshire Teaching PCT 12,500 
			 Liverpool PCT 4,941 
			 Luton Teaching PCT 33 
			 Manchester PCT 3,256 
			 Medway PCT 4,582 
			 Mid Essex PCT 1,000 
			 Middlesbrough PCT 600 
			 Milton Keynes PCT 100 
			 Newcastle PCT 1,100 
			 Newham PCT 6,724 
			 Norfolk PCT 6,000 
			 North East Essex PCT 1,000 
			 North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus PCT 1,400 
			 North Lancashire Teaching PCT 2,844 
			 North Lincolnshire PCT 2,000 
		
	
	
		
			 North Somerset PCT 1,063 
			 North Staffordshire PCT 1,000 
			 North Tyneside PCT 250 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT (12,000) 
			 Northamptonshire Teaching PCT 3,508 
			 Northumberland Care PCT 250 
			 Nottingham City PCT 4,400 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT 11,333 
			 Oldham PCT 4,375 
			 Oxfordshire PCT 7,744 
			 Peterborough PCT 0 
			 Plymouth Teaching PCT 5,215 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching PCT 3,385 
			 Redbridge PCT 4,027 
			 Redcar and Cleveland PCT 150 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 7,083 
			 Rotherham PCT 2,200 
			 Salford PCT 3,728 
			 Sandwell PCT 9,966 
			 Sefton PCT 2,624 
			 Sheffield PCT 500 
			 Shropshire County PCT 1,000 
			 Solihull PCT 1,379 
			 Somerset PCT 7,965 
			 South Birmingham PCT 2,600 
			 South East Essex PCT 200 
			 South Gloucestershire PCX 1,397 
			 South Staffordshire PCT 750 
			 South Tyneside PCT 50 
			 South West Essex PCT 650 
			 Southampton City PCT 3,920 
			 Southwark PCT 5,857 
			 Stockport PCT 917 
			 Stockton-on-Tees Teaching PCT 400 
			 Stoke on Trent PCT 2,000 
			 Suffolk PCT 14,100 
			 Sunderland Teaching PCT 900 
			 Surrey PCT 0 
			 Sutton and Merton PCT 4,528 
			 Swindon PCT 3,047 
			 Tameside and Glossop PCT 1,000 
			 Telford and Wrekin PCT 1,000 
			 Torbay PCT 7,468 
			 Tower Hamlets PCT 11,119 
			 Trafford PCT 500 
			 Wakefield District PCT 3,100 
			 Walsall Teaching PCT 3,512 
			 Waltham Forest PCT 4,293 
			 Wandsworth PCT 11,662 
			 Warrington PCT 1,589 
			 Warwickshire PCT 200 
			 West Essex PCT 1,000 
			 West Kent PCT 10,363 
			 West Sussex PCT 750 
			 Western Cheshire PCT 2,033 
			 Westminster PCT 24,344 
			 Wiltshire PCT 2,000 
			 Wirral PCT 3,088 
			 Wolverhampton City PCT 15,308 
			 Worcestershire PCT 3,000 
			 Source: Department of Health, The Quarter 2012-13, Quarter 3

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatment and support is available for people who suffer from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP); and what research into PSP is being funded by his Department.

Norman Lamb: Progressive, supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare and complex neurological disorder. The specific treatment and support available for patients with this condition is dependent upon the clinical symptoms the patient is experiencing and the stage of the disease; this varies between patients due to the presentation and progression rate of the disease.
	NHS England is responsible for the commissioning of neurological care including for people who suffer from PSP. Patients with specialist and complex neurological conditions such as PSP often require both a multi-speciality and multi-disciplinary approach from a specialist neurological (neuroscience) centre supported by on-going long term condition care provided by local hospitals and community services.
	NHS England does not directly fund research but has a commitment to enable research activity with The National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (CRN).
	The CRN is currently supporting a study of diagnosis and prognosis in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration (ID 5827) and this can be found at:
	http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/Search/StudyDetail.aspx?StudyID=5827

Property

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) location and (b) value is of any property his Department owns in Scotland.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not own any property in Scotland.

Prosthetics: Training

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the number of vacancies which exist nationally for NHS prosthetists and orthotists and (b) the number of NHS prosthetists and orthotists currently in training.

Daniel Poulter: There is no central estimate of the number of vacancies. Following the publication of the Fundamental Data Review in March 2013, the national health service vacancy collection, which had previously been suspended, has now been discontinued.
	The following table shows the combined total number of prosthetists and orthotists currently in training. Combined figures have been provided because prosthetists and orthotists study the same degree course.
	
		
			 Cohort Commissions Numbers in training Notes 
			 Pre-2009 cohorts (1)— 14 These are students who have intercalated their studies or have an authorised extension to training. Their predicted completion dates will vary according to the period of intercalation and/or extension 
		
	
	
		
			 2009 cohort 30 22 Due to complete summer 2013 (2009 was the last intake to the four year programme) 
			 2010 cohort 30 28 Due to complete summer 2013 (2010 was the first intake to the new three-year programme) 
			 2011 cohort 30 28 Target completion summer 2014 
			 2012 cohort 30 30 Target completion summer 2015 
			 Total 120 122  
			 (1) Not applicable. Note: These are the most recent figures available and are correct as at 31 March 2013. Source: University of Salford.

Thromboembolism

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of restrictions in access to novel oral anticoagulants for people with (a) atrial fibrillation, (b) deep vein thrombosis and (c) pulmonary embolism in (i) England, (ii) London and (iii) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent representations he has received on access to novel oral anticoagulants for people with (a) atrial fibrillation, (b) deep vein thrombosis and (c) pulmonary embolism in (i) England, (ii) London and (iii) Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: No such assessment has been made of access to novel oral anticoagulants for people with atrial fibrillation, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in England, in London and in Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency.
	The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended a number of oral anticoagulants, including dabigatran etexilate, apixaban and rivaroxaban as options for the treatment and prevention of conditions such as venous thromboembolism, stroke and systemic embolism.
	National health service organisations in England are legally required to fund treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.
	The Department has received a small number of representations, on access to oral anticoagulants in the form of written ministerial correspondence and parliamentary questions.

Thromboembolism

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what directions he has given to (a) clinical commissioning groups and (b) local NHS providers on ensuring that novel oral anticoagulants with a positive National Institute for Health and Care Excellence appraisal are available to all patients; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: National health service organisations, including clinical commissioning groups and local NHS providers, are legally required by regulations to fund anticoagulant treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in its technology appraisal guidance.
	Decisions on the prescribing of medicines are a matter for clinicians in discussion with their patients.